Aloha,
After watching the issues we had with Ish and scary Terry, it was clear to me that LeBron and AD’s injuries were not the only ones that severely impacted this team. Now Austin is a promising young defender but it was painfully apparent that he doesn’t have the quickness to hang with players as quick as Ish. And it was folly believing that THT was going to come in and be a defender as good as Alex or THT. While THT has shown enough flashes of defensive ability, it’s rare for a 21 year old to become a defensive stalwart. That usually takes several years.
It’s easy to see, considering Russ is not much of defender that Nunn would have been playing the Bradley role on this team. Avery has taken a lot of heat from some, but we were lucky he fell into our lap, there was no plan B and without Avery, it could have been worse against some of the quick guards in the NBA. While Malik has some quickness and has shown some defensive improvement, at only 23 he also has a lot to learn.
So to me I think of Nunn as our secret weapon. It’s tough when you can’t defend the opposing point guard with your own point guard, but Thats our situation with Russ as our point guard. With our lack of trading chips, Nunn could be our best mid season acquisition. He is quick, a good defender and a 3 level scorer. I know we dangled him in the trade offer for Grant, which made sense but I doubt he’s been part of a package for a lesser player. I mean it would be disastrous to have a Westbrook/Buddy starting backcourt. It would be like a sieve that would make AD’s life miserable. It would also be a lot to ask of a 33 year old Eric Gordon to stay with guys like , Tre, Ja and Steph.
For us to even have a chance, it’s going to take more than just LeBron and AD being healthy, we are going to need Nunn as well. Hopefully he will be returning soon enough to find a rhythm before the play offs.
Great post, Michael. I’ve found myself wondering if being injured might make Nunn not worth trading, in which case he could turn out to be a monster silver lining for the Lakers. Unlike THT, Nunn’s game is perfect for the small ball style we play and he would be perfect as out backup point guard.
In many ways, Monk is doing right now what we expected Nunn to do: score at all levels and defend physically and athletically. So I agree with you that Nunn could be our wild card.
By the same token, I think there are teams out there who see what Nunn could bring despite not yet playing or what THT could turn into on a team that had great shooting. Will come down to who needs to make a move, whom they pursue, and what they’re willing to offer to land him.
Lakers need two new starters next to the three superstars. Nunn or Monk should be one but the other starter should be a 3&D four or five to give our starting lineup another big and another shooter. We may end up having to settle for a shooting guard big enough to play the three but really need a true three, four, or five.
Watching Dwight play today, I’m leaning towards Myles Turner maybe being the perfect player for us to trade THT, Nunn, and the pick for. Russ, Monk, James, Davis, and Turner would be a killer starting lineup with LeBron or AD playing backup center depending on matchup. Turner may be easier to land than players like Grant or Barnes and would give us the ability to go superbig as well as small ball.