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Frank Vogel

Three Ways Russell Westbrook Can Be Dynamic Difference-Maker for Lakers!

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The Los Angeles Lakers’ objective as an organization is win championships. The reason they’ve succeeded doing that 17 times has been their relentless pursuit of superstar players. That’s why they traded for Russell Westbrook.

Gambling they can transform Russell Westbrook into a championship caliber player, the Lakers are once again going all-in on hitting a home-run and worrying little about the possibility of the move turning into a strike-out. That’s pure Lakers’ ‘exceptionalism.’ Zigging when other teams are zagging. Betting all the other teams and pundits are wrong and all Russell Westbrook needs to become a winner is to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

We know adding Russ, who’s not an efficient 3-point shooter, has hurt the Lakers spacing but here’s three ways Russell Westbrook can become the dynamic difference-maker the Lakers need to win the championship:

1. GIVE RUSS THE GREEN LIGHT TO REBOUND AND RUN

The single most important way the Lakers can take advantage of Russell Westbrook to help them win a championship is by giving him the green light to relentlessly rebound and run on every single defensive possession.

Unleashing Russ to be Russ in transition is the best way to get him to embrace the kind of defense the Lakers need from him as a physical guard with the size and athleticism to create chaos and defend multiple positions. During their championship year, the Lakers’ 101.20 pace was 11th in the league. Last season, their 98.85 pace was 21st in the league. This preseason with Russ, the Lakers’ torrid 108.33 pace was 2nd best in the league.

The Lakers’ strategy is obviously to take advantage of the Russ’ speed and relentlessness and LeBron’s and AD’s physicality and athleticism by pushing the ball after every defensive stop or score to create more scoring chances.

2. PLAY RUSS WITH AD WHEN LEBRON IS ON THE BENCH

In three years, the Lakers have not yet had a positive plus/minus rating when LeBron James is not on the court. One of their primary goals in trading for Russell Westbrook was to change that and win the non-LeBron minutes.

Unfortunately, the addition of Anthony Davis didn’t result in the Lakers winning the non-LeBron minutes. Now, however, the Lakers have a second superstar in Westbrook whom they can pair with Davis when LeBron rests. Since LeBron has had double-digit on-the-floor plus/minus ratings the last two years, the non-LeBron minutes have been the Lakers’ Achilles heel. Winning those minutes would make the Lakers an offensive juggernaut.

LeBron is probably going to play 75% or 36 of 48 minutes each game. That leaves 12 minutes or 25% of the game without LeBron where the Lakers need to play both Russ and AD. Win those minutes and Lakers are champs.

3. USE FIVE-OUT SETS TO GET RUSS GOING DOWNHILL

The pleasant surprise of the preseason was the Lakers ditching their boring long-time isolation offense that consisted of posting up LeBron James or Anthony Davis and allowing them to go 1-on-1 and make plays if doubled.

Instead, the Lakers are in the process of implementing a five-out spread offense designed to create spacing and movement to unleash the Lakers’ superstar playmakers and rim rattling scorers to dominate other defenses. Leave it to the Lakers to be the team not satisfied with a first round exit even if due to injuries. They’re the only legitimate championship contender to completely rebuild their roster and revamp their entire offensive strategy.

The Lakers need to put Russ in position where he’s going downhill and attacking the rim. The can do that by rescreening when defenders go under screens and emphasizing Westbrook pick-and-rolls with AD and LeBron.

Time for the Lakers to Allow Russell Westbrook To Be Russell Westbrook

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In his first two preseason games for the Lakers, newly acquired point guard Russell Westbrook has averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 7.5 turnovers in 21.6 minutes per game with a 21.1/40.0/0.0% shooting split.

With eleven new players and a new small ball offense and defense to learn, the Lakers have understandably gotten off to a slow start to the season, losing their four preseason games so far by an average of 18.5 points. That changes tonight as the Lakers will finally unveil their new Superstar Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, the first time this season that the team’s three superstars will be on the court together.

While the stats for LeBron and AD have been as uninspiring as Russ’ stats and all three Lakers superstars have said it will take time for the team to jell, we should get a glimpse tonight of just how dynamic this team could be.

SHOULD LAKERS BE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR 0–4 START?

Let’s start by re-emphasizing what every informed NBA fan should know: preseason games do not count. The only goal players have for preseason is to get into game shape, avoid serious injury, and hone their shooting stroke.

Preseason is when NBA head coaches experiment with lineups and rotations, give young untested players an opportunity to earn playing time, and try to figure out how best to win with the roster they’ve been given. Teams like the Suns who had minimal changes in continuity dominate in preseason while teams like the Lakers who have new rosters and offensive and defensive systems to implement need time and repetitions.

Unfortunately, NBA fans have short memories and a poor start by their team often results in panicked comments and overblown concerns that create unwarranted glass-half-empty predictions of doom and disaster. Last preseason, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers finished 4–0 while the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks had an 0–3 record and the West Champion Phoenix Suns had an 0–4 record during preseason.

Since the teams that met in the NBA Finals last season had a combined 0–7 preseason record, it’s obvious preseason wins and losses have absolutely no bearing on whether or not a team can compete for a championship.

WHAT CAN LAKERS DO TO UNLEASH RUSSELL WESTBROOK?

The Los Angeles Lakers need to take the shackles off Russell Westbrook, who’s playing like a man afraid of being himself, of being selfish, of shooting too much, of being inefficient, of being a poor fit for what the Lakers need.

Last season, Russ led the lowly Washington Wizards to the East playoffs by averaging a triple-double of 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 11.7 assists, and 1.4 steals in 36.4 minutes per game, the fourth time he’s done that in five years. There’s no reason Russ can’t do the same for the Los Angeles Lakers. They just need Russ to be Russ. He can tone down the catch-and-shoot threes and turnovers but the Lakers need to free Russ to be the force he can be.

Tonight, all the experimentation ends and the Lakers unveil their new superstar big three and let Russell Westbrook be Russell Westbrook. That means living with the occasional unwanted 3-point shot or turnover. But it also means letting Russ play like he always has, relentlessly attacking the paint and getting to the basket, pushing the ball in transition, putting pressure on the rim, and taking the wide-open jumpers when available.

While the Lakers have slow-walked the preseason, they’re now down to just two games left before the start of the regular season. Tonight, the Lakers will unveil their new superstar big three and unleash Russell Westbrook.

How Far Will Frank Vogel Go When It Comes to Fully Embracing Small Ball?

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With the Lakers ready to start Anthony Davis at center, the question is will Frank Vogel truly embrace small ball and unleash its full array of powers by transforming how the team plays in transition and offense and defense?

Russell Westbrook’s arrival was the catalyst that forced the Lakers, head coach Frank Vogel, and superstar center Anthony Davis to rethink their positional strategy and finally embrace their evolution to a small ball team. But simply sliding LeBron and AD to the four and five is not enough. The Lakers must fully optimize small ball by playing faster in transition and using ‘five-out’ sets on offense and ‘switch everything’ lineups on defense.

Over the next four preseason games, we should get a preview of whether Frank Vogel is going to fully embrace small ball or revert to his traditional resume as a coach who believes offense and defense start at the rim.

THE LAKERS NEED TO PUSH THE PACE IN TRANSITION

The Lakers’ top priority as a small ball team is to rebound and run according to Frank Vogel as the team looks to return to one of the formulas that led them to their 17th NBA championship in the bubble less than a full year ago.

The Lakers finished 21st in the league last season with a pace of only 98.85, down from their 11th best pace of 101.20 during their championship run. Top pace last season was the 104.67 posted by Westbrook and the Wizards. With Russ relentlessly pushing the pace, the Lakers should top the NBA in pace next season, maybe even breaking the 105.51 pace set by the Bucks during the 2019–20 season. Lakers will be looking to reprise Showtime.

Of the three ways to optimize small ball lineups, increasing the pace seems to be the one change in style on which Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel has no problem embracing. Lakers will lead the league in pace this season.

THE LAKERS NEED TO PLAY FIVE-OUT SETS ON OFFENSE

While the Lakers may set a record for transition points this season, they still will have to generate more than 75% of their points from half court offense. That’s where Frank Vogel’s coaching tendencies could get in the way.

Vogel’s long been a fan offensively of positioning a big in the dunker’s position, which plays into the hands of opposing defenses by making it easier to pack the paint to keep Lakers’ superstars from getting to the rim. What the Lakers need to do to optimize small ball lineups is play five-out sets with five capable 3-point shooters positioned behind the arc. That’s the lineup that opens up the paint for Russ, LeBronk and AD to attack the rim.

Half court offense has been the Lakers’ Achilles heel in the past, especially when LeBron rests. With three superstars and five-out sets, the Lakers small ball attack will put so much pressure on the rim that it will be unstoppable.

THE LAKERS NEED TO SWITCH EVERYTHING ON DEFENSE

One of the keys to the Lakers winning their 17th NBA championship in the bubble was the ability of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to switch and guard any player on the other team regardless of the position they played.

While Russ isn’t the elite individual defender LeBron and AD are, he’s still a player with amazing athleticism and energetic motor who has no problem switching and defending smaller or bigger players anywhere on the court. Add an elite pair of 3&D players in Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore and the Lakers suddenly have a 5-man closing lineup that could switch everything like the Golden State Warriors ‘Death Lineup’ did to win three titles.

If the Lakers want to take advantage of playing small, they need to run a lot more five-out sets to generate drive-and-dish opportunities. It’s the best way for the Lakers to execute Vogel’s favored ‘Paint to Great’ style of basketball.

THE ARRIVAL OF FIZDALE COULD HELP OPTIMIZE SMALL BALL

One unknown factor that could impact how willing Frank Vogel is to fully embrace the Lakers’ small ball on steroids lineups is the addition of David Fizdale as the lead assistant coach replacing the departed Jason Kidd.

Fizdale will hopefully give Vogel an assistant coach who not only has good experience coaching LeBron James but also has a background as more of an offensive oriented coach than Vogel or the other assistants on his staff. Fizdale won two championships as an assistant on James’ Heat teams and is the highest paid assistant in the league. Hopefully, his involvement will help Vogel make the right decisions to optimize the Lakers’ small ball lineups.

The bottom line is Frank Vogel needs to push the ball in transition and incorporate ‘five-out sets’ on offense and ‘switch everything’ lineups on defense to take full advantage of the Lakers commitment to play small.

Six Sweeping Changes To Come From the Lakers’ Small Ball Transformation

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Amidst 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.

How Much Will LeBron, AD, & Russ Have to Change Their Games to Win?

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Scheming 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.