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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreAmidst a wave of dissatisfaction with a first round exit in the playoffs and a desire to bring back elements from their bubble championship, the Lakers shocked everybody by finally committing to a small ball transformation.
Less than a year since winning their 17th NBA championship, the Lakers completely turned over their entire roster from last season, retaining only LeBron James and Anthony Davis and 20-year old Talen Horton-Tucker. Instead of running it back, the Lakers changed direction completely, trading for Russell Westbrook to create a superstar big three and then filling out the roster with the sharp shooting guards and wings needed to play small.
Small ball will transform the Lakers in six sweeping ways: Russ at the one, LeBron and AD at the four and five, rim protection for 48 minutes, better 3-point shooting, relentless fast breaks, and more switching on defense.
1. RUSSELL WESTBROOK AT THE POINT
There’s no question the catalyst to the Lakers’ decision to go small was the opportunity to trade for polarizing triple-double guru Russsell Westbrook, who will take over from LeBron James as the team’s primary playmaker.
While the Lakers expect Westbrook to improve his shot selection and consistency on defense, they’re looking for Russ to bring his usual high speed, high energy, full throttle kamakaze rim-pressuring style of play. Westbrook’s addition to the starting lineup was the move that opened the door for the Lakers to move James to the four and Davis to the five to create openings at the two and three for proven 3-point shooters to create spacing.
As Russ, LeBron, and AD discussed before the Lakers pulled off the trade with the Wizards, the arrival of Westbrook changed everything and was the main reason behind the decision to slide LeBron and AD back and go small.
2. AD AND LEBRON AT THE FOUR AND FIVE
While the Lakers did a great job adding playmaking, shooting, and shot blocking to their roster, the decision to slide LeBron and AD to the four and five and go with their championship small ball lineup was the killer move.
There’s never been any question the Lakers were better with LeBron at the four and AD at the five but up until now they have bent over backwards to accommodate Davis’ stated preference to play the four instead of the five. Westbrook starting at the one changed that as there was no way the Lakers could prevent teams from packing the paint against their superstars if they started a traditional low post center instead of a second 3-point shooter.
Moving LeBron to the four and AD to the five transforms the Lakers into a lethal offensive team that will reprise Showtime 2.0 and the most lethal switch everything defensive lineup since the Warriors’ Death Lineup.
3. RIM PROTECTION FOR 48 MINUTES
While the Lakers lost two elite perimeter defenders in KCP and Caruso in the offseason, they were able to add two bigger 3&D specialists in Bazemore and Ariza. But their major defensive move was re-signing Dwight Howard.
The poor personnel decisions the Lakers made at center before last season could have doomed the team’s chances of repeating even if they had stayed healthy. The lack of capable rim protection this last season was horrifying. Replacing Gasol, Harrell, and Drummond with Davis, Howard, and Jordan will transform the Lakers defense and give their perimeter defenders the security blanket that having a rim protector on the floor for all 48 minutes.
Frank Vogel has always been a strong believer that defense starts at the rim. Now he’s finally going to get the chance to show what kind of defense the Lakers can build now that the team has committed to playing small ball.
4. BETTER 3-POINT SHOOTING
Westbrook’s poor shooting from three was a major reason many pundits disliked the Lakers trade for him but Rob Pelinka surprised everybody by bringing in six proven 3-point shooters to surround his three superstars.
While the Lakers’ three superstars are subpar 3-point shooters, Pelinka has added enough quality 3-point shooters so Vogel will be able to include a proven pair of 3-point sharp shooters in every lineup he puts on the floor. The additions of Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Kendrick Nunn, and Malik Monk should give the Lakers the veteran 3-point shooting they need to create spacing for their superstars.
3-point shooting has become the key to NBA offenses with league recording the highest 3-point shooting percentage in league history at 36.7%. The Lakers exceed that mark for this season and rank in the top half of the NBA.
5. RELENTLESS FAST BREAKS
The Lakers led the league in transition points and efficiency during their bubble championship run. Last season, they saw their transition points drop by 5 points per game. Expect Russ to make the Lakers the fast break kings.
Part of the bubble championship blueprint Frank Vogel wants to return to is the Lakers leading the league in fast break points and transition pace. The Lakers priority will be to play the kind of defense that generates fast breaks. With a defense anchored by three elite shot blockers and three athletic superstars who can defend multiple positions, the Lakers will reward their defenders with devastating fast breaks and early transition opportunities.
With three of the fastest, most athletic superstars in the league in LeBron, AD, and Russ, the Lakers intend to pair their elite team defense with what could be a legitimate reincarnation of their Showtime teams of the 80’s.
6. MORE SWITCHING ON DEFENSE
The biggest area of concern regarding the Lakers’ new roster is how do they replace guards Caruso and Caldwell-Pope, the team’s two best point of attack perimeter defenders who are no longer part of the team’s roster?
Part of the solution is the addition of a pair of veteran 3&D players in Kent Bazemore and Trevor Ariza, who could be paired with the Lakers’ three superstars to create a versatile small ball lineup that can switch everything. The other part of the defensive solution is the addition of two proven shot blockers to backup Anthony Davis who is going to start at center to back up the Lakers’ perimeter defenders with strong rim protection.
With two superstars in LeBron and AD who can defend all five positions and other versatile defenders like Westbrook, Ariza, and Bazemore who can guasrd up and down, expect the Lakers to do a lot of switching defensively.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreScheming to get three superstars to mesh is exponentially tougher than two superstars. The Lakers have to figure out how to merge the games of three high powered superstars into a championship offensive and defensive team.
While that sounds challenging, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook are on the Lakers today because of the ‘meeting of the minds’ they had in LA at LeBron’s home two weeks before free agency last summer. With Russ at the one, LeBron and AD agreed to slide to the four and five to leave room in the lineup for 3-point shooters at the two and three. That’s the championship lineup that was put in mothballs last regular season.
With three centers on the roster last season— Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, and Andre Drummond — the Lakers limited Anthony Davis to just 10 regular season minutes per game and 20 playoff minutes per game at center. While some of the lack of playing time at the five could be blamed on Davis’ injury issues, there’s no question the Lakers were strategically trying to limit his minutes playing center and accommodate his preference to play the four.
But the addition of Russell Westbrook changed everything, including asking LeBron James to move to the four and play off the ball and Anthony Davis to play major minutes at the five despite his stated preference to play the four.
WHAT’S THE LAKERS’ PLAN TO OPTIMIZE THEIR SUPERSTARS?
Rob Pelinka said in his press conference today the Lakers accomplished their three main offseason goals: adding 3-point shooting, playmaking, and a return to the two athletic/defensive center model from their title run.
The challenge Pelina will be passing on to head coach Vogel is how to fit the Lakers’ new playmaking in the form of Russell Westbrook, six new proven 3-point shooters, and two new traditional low post centers into viable lineups. The dilemma is that none of the Lakers three superstars are elite 3-point shooters so playing a traditional center along with three superstars only leaves one lineup spot for a team that now has six proven 3-point shooters.
While Vogel has not yet specified what position James and Davis will be playing this season, the team’s roster construction following the Westbrook trade clearly favors LeBron moving to the four and Davis moving to the five. Realistically, Rob Pelinka has given coach Frank Vogel a roster that clearly appears to have been specificaly constructed to support a small ball lineup with LeBron James playing the four and Anthony Davis playing the five.
From the roster construction Pelinka put together and the media comments from sources like Marc Stein, Jovan Buha, and Rich Paul, the Lakers’ front office’s plan was for the team to embrace small ball on steroids.
WHAT CAN THE LAKERS LEARN FROM THE NETS LAST SEASON?
Even though Durant, Iving, and Harden only played 35, 54, and 36 games respectively out of the 72-game regular season schedule, the Lakers can still learn a lot about what to expect statistically from their three superstars.
Basically, the Los Angeles Lakers followed the identical route the Brooklyn Nets did to build their superstar big three, trading for a elite point guard to be their third superstar to complement their existing superstar twosome. The Lakers got their superstar big three by trading for Russell Westbrook to go with LeBron James and Anthony Davis while the Nets got theirs by trading for James Harden to complement Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Changes are inevitable when a team starts a lineup with a superstar big three with a 30% usage rate because there just aren’t enough minutes or touches for all three superstars to continue playing the same way. For the Nets, the superstar who sacrificed was James Harden, who became the team’s primary playmaker but saw his points drop from 35 to 25 ppg. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving basically posted the same stats as prior year.
Harden’s adjustment to be more of a playmaker than scorer is an example of the kind of sacrifices superstars need to make to win and is exactly what the Lakers will need mostly from LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
WHAT CHANGES WILL LEBRON, AD, AND RUSS HAVE TO MAKE?
With James Harden sacrificing scoring for playmaking, the Brooklyn Nets integration of a third superstar went smoothly. The Lakers’ integration of Russell Westbrook, however, could very well turn out to be transformative.
The Lakers aren’t going to ask newcomer Russell Westbrook as the third superstar to change his game the way the Nets did James Harden. Instead, they’re going to use the Westbrook trade as an opportunity to go small. Instead of asking Russ to change how he plays, the Lakers plan to give him the ball, move LeBron to the four to cut his workload and extend his career, and slide AD to the five to unleash their small-ball-on-steroids lineups.
While Russell Westbrook will have to improve his shot selection, limit his turnovers, and play elite team defense, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will have to make the biggest adjustments since they have to change positions. Fortunately, James and Davis have championship experience playing the four and five together so the adjustment should be seamless and give the Lakers the best offensive and defensive frontcourt duo in the entire league.
In the end, the adjustment the Lakers have to make to integrate Russell Westbrook as their third superstar is to transition from a team running traditional twin towers lineups to a small ball-on-steroids juggernaut.
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Aloha Tom, as you know I completely agree with you on playing AD at the 5 and LeBron at the 4. At this time until training camp, even the coaching staff probably doesn’t know what they are going to do. That said, one thing I know for sure is that AD will play the 5 when we need him to. I don’t see a repeat of last year due to the roster construction. I don’t think I’m quite as worried about it as you, considering we can beat most teams in the league, even starting Howard. There will be certain times when you want LeBron at the 3 because of our lack of 3’s with size and AD at the 4. I could see AD at the 4 against the Bucks and Giannis for instance. AD is one of the few guys in the league quick enough to stay with him, that Giannis can’t over power. I could also see AD against a guy like Porzingas. We will have to wait to see how much each guy plays at each position. I’ll be actually more interested to see what the rotations will look like when LeBron or Westbrook or Ad rests, then I am of who starts. One of the perks of a big 3 is always having at least one superstar on the floor at a time. Of the 3 I think Westbrook and LeBron will spend the least amount of time on the court together.
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Aloha, Michael,
Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree we’re pretty much in agreement on LeBron and AD playing the four and five. When the big three aren’t playing together, I agree LeBron and Russ will be separated rather than playing together. We need Russ and AD for when Bron sits and I like the idea of Bron at the five with four shooters. I think that could be a killer small ball lineup with James at center. Going to be one of the most fun Lakers seasons ever in my opinion if we stay healthy.
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It’s not surprising that many Lakers fans express their opinion of LeBron and AD sliding to the four and five as “I’ll believe it when I see it, even though they ultimately feel that’s the Lakers’ best move, which tells you what they think about Frank Vogel and his love for twin towers bigs on offense and defense.
Looking back at last season, injuries notwithstanding, the Lakers made some mistakes that could have eventually cost them the championship even if healthy. From Schroder’s demand to start to Gasol’s and Harrell’s glaring weakness to Drummond’s promise to start, the roster construction created problems at the center position that should have been solved by playing AD there if not for orders from above or coach’s preferences. My guess is a bunch of both.
This year’s roster construction appears designed for a small ball team with LeBron at the four and AD at the five. 2 centers instead of three. No competing stretch 5 since Gasol is gone. And a half dozen lethal 3-point shooting guards who needs minutes. I’ve got my fingers crossed because everything says this is going to happen. Why then, do I have this feeling it’s not the slam dunk it should be?
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreThe arrival of Russell Westbrook not only gives the Los Angeles Lakers a legitimate third superstar but also the catalyst to enable them to unleash their championship version of ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ in the regular season.
The Lakers’ sudden dramatic change in course shocked everybody as the pundits expected L.A. to bring back most of their bubble championship roster despite sufferring an embarrassing injury plagued first round exit. Never afraid to shoot for the moon, the Lakers dumped their entire roster except for LeBron, AD, and THT, traded for polarizing point guard Russell Westbrook, and fully embraced playing small ball in the regular season.
The naysayers and doubters continue to predict the Lakers will still start either Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan at center rather than Davis, who’s been reluctant to play the five fulltime since signing with Los Angeles. However, news reports LeBron and AD agreed before the trade to move to the four and five to accommodate Russ and Rich Paul telling teams the same thing at the Chicago combine clearly indicate major change is coming.
Switching to small ball during the regular season as well as in the playoffs opens the door for the Lakers to start games with a five-out spread-the-floor offense and close out games with a shut-down switch-everything defense. With the Russell Westbrook taking over at the one and two of the fastest and quickest big men in the game in LeBron James and Anthony Davis manning the four and five, the Lakers will also lead the league in fast breaks.
With Russ manning the one, LeBron willing to give up the ball and move to the four, and AD finally willing to play the five during the regular season, the Lakers have a chance to lead the league in offense, defense, and transition.
SO WHY DID THE LAKERS SUDDENLY DECIDE TO GO SMALL?
The opportunity to trade for a legitimate third superstar in Westbrook was the reason the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly decided to commit to playing their version of ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ in the regular season and playoffs.
After an injury plagued first round playoffs exit and anticipating a potential NBA Finals matchup with the Brooklyn Nets and their Superstar Big Three of Duarant, Irving, and Harden, the Lakers needed to make a bold move. They had two priorities: a ‘difference-making playmaker’ so LeBron James could move off the ball to power forward and multiple high volume, high percentage 3-point shooters to create spacing for the team’s superstars.
While Russ checked the boxes as a ‘difference-making playmaker,’ his poor shooting from the line and deep all but guaranteed the Lakers would have to move LeBron and AD to the four and five and play small for it to work. That’s why Pelinka went out and signed six proven veteran 3-point shooters, including two who were excellent perimeter defenders, to give Vogel the pieces he needed to create optimum lineups for their three superstars.
It was obvious from the start trading for Westbrook could only work if the Lakers committed to playing small ball with Russ at the one, LeBron at the four, AD at the five, and a pair of elite 3-point shooters to creat spacing.
HOW DOES GOING SMALL HELP THE LAKERS OFFENSIVELY?
Anthony Davis’ reluctance to play center fulltime to avoid injuries and extend his career has prevented the Lakers from putting the best version of themselves on the court since they traded for him two years ago.
Trading for Westbrook changed everything, forcing the Lakers to embrace small ball during the regular season so they can deploy a pair of proven 3-point shooters to create floor spacing for superstars LeBron, AD, and Russ. With a Superstar Big Three who were subpar 3-point shooters, there was no way the Lakers could afford to waste a spot in their starting or closing lineup for a traditional center like Howard or Jordan who have no 3-point gravity.
While 5-out sets would create floor spacing for LeBron and AD to attack the rim, the real beneficiary of better spacing would be Russ, who had one of his best years ever when the Rockets traded Capela to go all-in on small ball. Pulling opposing centers and power forwards out of the paint, the Lakers can create opportunities for James, Davis, and Westbrook to go 1-on-1 against their defenders without having to worry about a shot blocker.
Offensively, the Lakers’ 5-out ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ sets will optimize what Russell Westbrook can do attacking the rim while setting up LeBron James and Anthony Davis to feast in the paint and dominate on the glass.
HOW DOES GOING SMALL HELP THE LAKERS DEFENSIVELY?
It’s been less than a year ago since the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th championship in the bubble by dominating opposing defenses with their ‘small-ball-on-steroids’ defense with LeBron at the four and AD at the five.
Besides adding six proven veteran 3-point shooters to allow the Lakers to play 5-out on offense, the Lakers made sure two of those sharp shooters were also versatile perimter defenders capable of switching everything. While the Lakers could pair Ellington and Nunn with their three superstars for an elite starting lineup, they could also pair Bazemore and Ariza with James, Davis, and Westbrook for a lethal switch-everything defense.
That’s a Lakers’ closing lineup of Westbrook (6′ 3″ with 6′ 8″ wingspan), Bazemore (6′ 4″ with 7′ 0″ wingspan), Ariza (6′ 8″ with 7′ 2″ wingspan), James (6′ 9″ with 7′ 0″ wingspan), and Davis (6′ 10″ with 7′ 6″ wingspan). Being able to roll out a lineup with five strong defenders with size and length to switch every screen is a killer weapon to have available in this pick-and-roll driven era. What makes this lineup work is there’s no weak link to attack.
The Lakers’ switch-everything small-ball-on-steroids lineup is not only big, long, and fast but plays a physical bully-ball suffocating style of defense. Switching to small ball full-time will make the Lakers’ defense the best.
HOW DOES GOING SMALL HELP THE LAKERS IN TRANSITION?
The Lakers expect to lead the NBA in pace and recreate Showtime with Russell Westbrook leading the charge with LeBron and AD on the wings and a pair of deadeye 3-point shooters sprinting to get open in the corners.
The Lakers may set records for transition and early offense points next season as their bully-ball defense plus the sheer speed and quickness of their small ball lineups is goiing to create easy fast break opportunities. Similarly, having fierce finishers like LeBron James and Anthony Davis running the wings with Russell Westbrook is going ensure the Lakers cash in on those opportunities in the regular season and even in the playoffs.
If Westbrook was able to get the Wizards playing at the fastest pace in the NBA, he should have no problem driving the Lakers to new records in transition points and efficiency. We’ll see the modern version of Showrime. While the Lakers have prioritized taking and making more threes, they’re also going to be at the rim more than maybe any team ever. They won’t concede the 3-point battle but they plan to dominate teams in transition.
Nothing hurts an offense more than knowing soon as a shot goes up they have to hustle back on defense rather than trying for offensive rebounds or stealing an outlet pass. Playing smaller and faster is a killer in transition.
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The more I think about the advantages the Lakers are going to have offensively, defensively, and in transition because of switching to their small-ball-on-steroids with LeBron at the four and AD at the five during the regular season AND the playoffs, the more excited I get about the Lakers chances to win #18.
5-out sets on offense, switch everything sets on defense, and smaller and faster players in transition are going to enable the Lakers to be top-five in team offense, defense, and transition. The Lakers are going to practice and fine tune how how to dominate in all three areas during the long regular season so they go into the playoffs peaked and unbeatable.
The critics have totally misjudged the impact the addition of Russell Westbrook and the Lakers embracing small ball with LeBron and AD at the four and five are going to have on the Lakers’ season. In retrospect, we’re going to finally see the Lakers win #18, Rob Pelinka win EOY, and Frank Vogel COY. Get ready for one of the greatest seasons in Lakers’ franchise history.
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Yes, you are right, Tom. This got to be the season to really feel gung-ho about showtime 2.0
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Buba. I think this could be one of the greatest Lakers teams in history.
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Yep, I have never been this excited about the Lakers season before. Thank God we are about to get the season underway.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreThere’s been a lot of talk about Russell Westbrook exacerbating rather than helping the Lakers’ need for better free throw and 3-point shooting but a close review of his stats renews hopes his shooting struggles can be cured.
Let me first be clear about a couple of major issues. First, the critics have gone way overboard by throwing Russ under the bus for his shooting woes while ignoring the unbelievable contributions he makes in other areas. Second, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers deserve high praise for the moves they made after the Westbrook trade to add six sharpshooters who can make their free throws and shoot a high volume and high percentage from deep.
The crux of the moves Pelinka made this offseason was to shift the team’s 3-point production from superstars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, none of whom is really a reliable or trustworthy 3-point shooter. While LeBron, AD, and Russ are not going to stop shooting threes, the Lakers’ plan is to have their superstars attack the rim to create wide open threes for the six new 3-point shooters they signed this offseason.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how Russ’ stats contain valulable clues that should alow the Lakers to find a cure to improve his 65% free throw percentage from 65% to 75% and his 3-point percentage from 31.5% to 35%.
HOW TO FIX WESTBROOK’S FREE THROW SHOOTING
Let’s start with Russell’s issues at the free throw line. Last season, he averaged 65.6% from the line, which matched the 65.6% he shot three seasons ago. Russ will need to shoot better to close games for the Lakers.
The good news is Russ is a career 79% free throw shooter over 13 seasons, who shot over 80% from the line 8 of his first 10 seasons. The bad news is his free throw percentage dropped to 68.8% over the last three years. The question the Lakers need to answer is what happened to cause the elite free throw shooter who shot 81.4% over his first 10 years to have his free throw percentage to drop 12.7% to just 68.8% over the last three years?
Nothing jumps out from reviewing his stats or comparing his free throw shooting routine now and then that explains the precitous drop in free throw percentage. There’s no correlation to his shots or free throws taken. The solution is for the Mike Penworthy, the Lakers’ shooting coach, to work with Russ to get him back to shooting free throws with the accuracy he did during his first 10 years in the league. This is a problem coaching can fix.
Getting Russell Westbrook to improve his free throw shooting from 65% to 75% as a Lakers is an attainable goal, especially since Russ won’t have the heavy workload he had at Oklahoma City, Houston, or Washington.
HOW TO IMPROVE WESTBROOK’S 3-POINT SHOOTING
When an NBA player is an elite free throw shooter, which Westbrook was his first 10 years, there’s a good chance that player will also develop into a capable 3-point shooter. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen with Russ.
But looking at his 3-point shooting stats for last season by quarter and by half revealed information that could explain Westbrook’s inconsistency when it comes to 3-point shooting and suggest a possible plan to improve. Last season, Russ shot a mediocre 31.5% on 1.3 of 4.2 threes per game but when you dig deeper you find Russ shot a respectable 35.0% on 0.6 of 1.7 threes in the 1st half but a dismal 29.1% on 0.7 of 2.4 threes in the 2nd half.
That suggests the pressure and workload playing on the Wizards could have caused Russ’ shooting percentage to dive the second half of games. Russ’ worst quarter all year long was the 4th, when he shot 27.8% from three. Frankly, playing on the Lakers with superstar bigs like LeBron James and Anthony Davis should enable Russ to dial down his effort on offense, limit his shot selection, and focus more on playmaking and attacking the rim.
A dose of restraint and discipline and less pressure and workload should give Russ the opportunity to raise his 3-point shooting from 31.5% to 35%, which would be the highest 3-point percentage in his storied 13-year career.
WHAT WESTBROOK HAS TO DO TO FIT IN WITH LAKERS
Russell Westbrook has a well-earned reputation for being a stubborn player and while he’s played with superstars like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Bradley Beal, he’s never won a championship in his 13 seasons in the NBA.
The Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook to win their 18th championship. They’re taking the ball out of LeBron’s hands and putting it in Russ’ hands. His job will be attack the rim and turn this year’s Lakers into Showtime 2.0. For the new big three to click, all three superstars must make sacrifices. That means Russ learning to make his free throws and limiting his 3-point shots, LeBron moving to the four and playing off the ball, and AD playing the five.
All of this was obviously discussed during the meeting in Los Angeles before free agency between Russ, LeBron, and AD so each of the superstars knew beforehand what they would need to do to make the surprise trade work. Had that meeting not happened, the Lakers would have probably not traded for Russ and Buddy Hield would likely be wearing purple and gold right now. And give Pelinka credit for still being able to get the shooting they needed.
The basketball media wrongly thinks the Lakers made mistake trading for Westbrook because his poor shooting is a bad fit. In the end, the Lakers will not only prove they can win the championship but also that Russ can shoot.
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Aloha Tom, you missed the in my opinion the crux of Russ’s 3 point shooting problems. Shot selection is his biggest issue. He shot over 35% on catch and shoot 3’s and over 40% on corner 3’s. He was a dismal 28% on pull up 3’s. If he eliminates a lot of the pull ups he probably will hit your 35% mark over even better. And playing with LeBron he will get catch and shoot opportunities then he probably has ever had.
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Aloha, Michael. Thanks for chiming in. And adding valuable stats to back up your point that Russ’ main problem was shoot selection And we all know that is something that usually can be improved, especially when you’re playing on a bigger stage with two other proven champions like LeBron and AD.
Russ may have been the leader or co-leader of every team he’s played for. But even he knows this is LeBron’s team. Russ will take more care of his shot selection and won’t be under the pressure to have to do more in the second halves and fourth quarters.
I think we’re actually in agreement because my point was for Russ to keep the constant pressure on the other team evenly throughout the game. All of his stats but his 3-point shooting seem to remain constant or up in the second half or fourth quarter except for 3-point shooting. That’s all about shot selection under pressure as the game ends. With LeBron and AD, Russ won’t face the pressure or need to dial it up.
Let’s hope the Lakers coaching staff makes sure Russ sees those stats and jumps aboard. LeBron would ideally be involved and maybe AD too. I know I want all three superstars to shoot more at the rim and less from deep. But I want our other players to focus on shooting threes rather midrange or layups. Keep the floor clear so LeBron and AD will be playing 2 on 2 in the paint. Keep our shooters out where the points count 3 to create spacing. That’s what I think is the formula for this team.
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Some of it can be explained mostly by guys not being able to handle the bright lights of Hollywood even though you would think playing with LeBron and AD and getting more wide open shots would offset that. Be interesting to see how this bunch of shooters fare by the end of the season. Lots of playmakers and shooters should translate into both higher volume and percentage. We’ll see.
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Short turnaround + excessive workload = Tired legs
Russ isn’t immune or stubborn enough to not get tired.
Playing with LBJ and AD should help but Russ’s big adjustment will have to be dial it back 10% every quarter. Not cumulatively, of course, but just save a little for the end. Pick your spots, you haven’t won a title playing your way now try a different one.
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Yeah, the numbers show that he dials it up as the game goes on. Just keep the pedal to the metal consistently all game long and focus on getting the ball to your co-superstars and corps of 3-point shooters and don’t worry about having to do everything yourself.
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Lakers Fast Break wrote a new post
Read MoreThe crew from Lakerholics and Joe Soro from Lakersball picked their top 10 All-Time Lakers (which you can hear and see above) but we want to hear from YOU with your lists so please list them out on the comments below and we can give you and your list a shout out on the program!
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1. Magic Johnson
2. Kobe Bryant
3. LeBron James
4. Wilt Chamberlain
5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
6. Jerry West
7. Shaquille O’Neal
8. James Worthy
9. Elgin Baylor
10. Pau Gasol-
Lebron may be the 2nd best guy to ever lace ’em up, but he’s no way a top-3 Laker. 2 out of 3 seasons here ended disappointingly, and the bubble bowl will forever have a asterisk. Not even close. Probably fighting for Pau towards the 9-10 range.
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We’d have 10+ losing seasons right now, if he didn’t come. Maybe not not, but he will eventually.
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Bro, people are ignoring his obvious decline already, same as they did with Kobe. We all know that 1/4 to 1/2 step is the difference between MVP-Level, makes you a contender by his sheer presence to a realistically 2nd team All-NBA guy is a MAJOR dropoff. You can already see the ramifications in Philly – Lebron is no longer a force of nature so we can tell his piss-boy Rich to go kick rocks on the Simmons negotiations.
Not seeing a path where he carries the Lakers to the promised land without a bunch of things breaking his way. I wouldn’t put him in the rafters if all he brings home is the Bubble Bowl Ring, much less put him in the conversation with the All-Time Lakers.
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A Lot of rational retorts in there…much of the criticism LeBron has earned and deserves is self-inflicted…
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My question as always about him is…why shade his accomplishments? What’s the point here for haters???…
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1) Never drafted himself 2) Never called himself the ‘chosen one’ Sports Illustrated gave him that 3) People throwing shade by saying he has no “go to move”…
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As a matter of fact LeBron has a signature offense and defense maneuver; Offensively no one can come close to his transition tomahawk jam…
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Not to mention he’s literally the most menacing chase down block threat in NBA history…
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At this point criticizing him beyond his age is stale bread, my close friend…
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I’m not talking about what he did before he came to LA when he was at his peak in the least. Really immaterial to me. I’ve already conceded he’s the 2nd best of all time (although you could say Kareem has a pretty strong case there). He came to town and couldn’t take a young group to the playoffs and punted on the season when his manservant couldn’t piss and moan his way to getting Lebron a second all-star. He’s been dinged up every year in LA, and without the covid layoff, could have been dinged up that year too. We already know AD was on the shelf prior to the bubble. His game was heavily predicated on a level of Athleticism that was unprecedented. Not saying there wasn’t a great deal of hard work, skill, and determination to go with it, just saying the difference between a top-15 player and then undisputed king of the league was that twitch. Well, it’s no longer there, like it or not. Still great, still can help you be relevant, but on his own, really not taking anyone, anywhere without a whole lotta things breaking his way.
I’ll be up front and say I’ve never been a fan. The passive aggressive, self-serving nonsense the emanates from him and his mouthpieces is just so off-putting and disingenuous to me. Regardless of what he does on the court, he will always be outshadowed by his nonsense.
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First, I can’t remember a Lakers season like this where I pretty much am 100% satisfied with the moves the front office made during the offseason. Frankly, I think Rob and everybody did a great job reading the league, recognizing our needs, and seizing the opportunity by committing to going small with AD at the five.
I’m sure Gerald and Jamie will rightly point out that I usually have an optimistic view of most Lakers offseasons being a naturally optimistic and glass half full type of fan. But this is the first time there has been no negative undercurrent to my opinion because the Lakers were refusing to play AD at the five.
I’ve consistently called for the Lakers to embrace small the last twenty years. Finally, the Lakers have embraced the modern NBA and the 3-point shot and the need for spacing. That makes me a happy camper right now. I’m excited to see this team in action. More than I have been since the heady days of Andrew Bynum dunking on Shaq. This is going to be one of the greatest Lakers teams in franchise history. 65 to 70 wins and 18th championship.
What’s going to make this season so special is we’re going to be playing small ball most of the time and running like we’ve never seen since Showtime. Pelinka for EOY. Vogel for COY. AD for DPOY. Melo for 6MOY. LeBron, AD, and Russ for Big Three of the Year. Lakers for World Champions for the 18th time.