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How Rob Pelinka Has Weaponized the Los Angeles Lakers Offensive Arsenal

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Last season, the Lakers proved the axiom that defense wins championships. This season Rob Pelinka has given the Lakers an arsenal of weapons so their high powered offense could be as good as their championship defense.

While the Lakers clearly gave up some rim protection by not bringing back McGee and Howard, they still have their best shot blocker and rim protector in Anthony Davis, who will be playing the five when they close out games. Meanwhile, the objective in basketball is still to put the ball in the basket more times than your opponent and the four players the Lakers added this offseason were dramatic offensive upgrades over the four they replaced.

1. Marc Gasol for JaVale McGee

While the individual stats don’t show it, the biggest move to transform the Lakers offense this offseason was replacing traditional center JaVale McGee with modern 3-point shooting and elite playmaking center Marc Gasol. Gasol’s ability to shoot and pass the ball from the top of the key will open the floor for Laker superstars James and Davis to attack the rim and create opportunities for cutters like Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma to get easy baskets.

While Gasol only averaged 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 26.4 minutes per game vs. McGee’s 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 16.6 minutes per game, Marc shot 38.5% on 3.4 attempted threes per game. While Marc Gasol won’t personally add many points, his ability to stretch defenses and pass to cutters will transform the Lakers offensively and give teammates better spacing and opportunities to score than last season.

2. Dennis Schroder for Rajon Rondo

The second biggest offseason move Pelinka made was trading for Dennis Schroder to replace Rajon Rondo and give the Lakers a legitimate starting point guard in his prime to take the playmaking load off of LeBron James. While Schroder is not the elite playmaker Rondo was, he’s a much better scorer, 3-point shooter, and on ball defender. He also adds an element of speed at both ends of the court the Lakers did not have last season.

Finishing second in the 6MOY competition, Schroder averaged 18.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 30.8 minutes per game last season vs. Rondo’s 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. While the Lakers may miss Playoff Rondo’s clutch savvy, Schroder is 7 years younger, will give the Lakers the third scorer they’ve been missing, make life easier for LeBron in the starting lineup, and run the team when he rests.

3. Wesley Matthews for Danny Green

Like Gasol for McGee, Matthews for Green was more about saving money and cap space and replacing a player whose productivity declined for a player who brought more offensive potential and versatility to the Lakers. By replacing Danny Green with Wesley Matthews, Rob Pelinka was able to exchange an expensive veteran shooting guard for one on a minimum contract and to steal a starting player from the rival Milwaukee Bucks.

Matthews averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 24.4 minutes per game last season for the Bucks while Green posted 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 24.8 minutes per game for the Lakers. While Matthews’ 36.4% on 4.4 threes per game is almost identical to Green’s 36.7% on 4.8 threes per game, Wes was the better and quicker defender against big wing scorers like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

4. Montrezl Harrell for Dwight Howard

Replacing veteran backup center Dwight Howard with the 26-year old explosive, high scoring reigning 6MOY Montrezl Harrell could turn out to be Rob Pelinka’s crowning achievement of the offseason for the Lakers. While the Lakers will miss Howard’s elite rim protection, the opportunity to steal Trezz from the rival Clippers was just too tempting to pass and gives the team’s bench a needed boost in energy and scoring when LeBron rests.

Harrell averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 27.8 minutes per game with the Clippers last season while Howard averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 18.9 minutes per game with the Lakers. While Trezz is not the defender Dwight was, he will be playing alongside an elite defender and shot blocker in Anthony Davis and should continue being a high powered bench scorer who regularly dominates reserve centers.

Comparing the offensive productivity of the four players Rob added to that of the players they replaced is revealing. Gasol, Schroder, Matthews, and Harrell averaged a combined 52.4 points, 19.5 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. Meanwhile, McGee, Rondo, Green, and Howard averaged 29.2 points, 19.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. The four new players Rob Pelinka added to the Lakers posted 79% more points and 39% more assists.

That added offense from these four players translates into 23.2 more points and 2.9 more assists per game for a Lakers team that ranked 11th in the league with 113.4 points per game and 10th with 25.4 assists per game. Adding those numbers to last year’s averages would give the Lakers 136.6 points and 28.3 assist per game, both of which would rank first in the league and show how Rob Pelinka has weaponized the team’s offensive arsenal.

5 Things: Lakers Easily Handle Clippers

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That was a fun game to watch. When you’re on fire from distance like we were, playing the kind of defense that leads to a bunch of easy baskets and making plays for the team the game is fun to play and watch. That was indeed the case last night.

  1. Rinse, wash, repeat. Beating the Clippers back to back, even in preseason, is always a treat. Y’know…I used to feel bad for the Clipps. Not so much these days what with all the hype they keep pumping up about this and that. In all honesty the only good things that’ve come out of Clipper Land these days is us snagging Trezz and the news that Steve Ballmer won’t be knocking down the Fabulous Forum in order to build his mega sports complex in Inglewood. Nowadays I take a slightly sadistic, special pleasure when we hand that squad an L. Even in preseason.
  2. Winning with defense. The best part, in my opinion, about the preseason thus far has been how locked in our defense is. Sure there have been some miscommunications between the new guys (expected) and some break downs here and there (always will be, except of course the Game 6 defensive masterpiece) but for preseason the Lakers already look pretty solid on defense. Whether it’s crashing the glass or ducking into passing lanes for steals or THT mugging Kawhi Leonard the Laker D is on point.
  3. Three point barrage. It won’t happen every night but man were the Lakers on fire from three last night! The team shot a whopping 72% and everyone who took one made one (except Marc Gasol). Fun stuff!
  4. Speaking of the debut of Marc Gasol… Man is it going to be fun watching Marc with the ball in the high post. Sharing the floor with LeBron and Anthony Davis is going to make his passing so incredibly deadly. His ability to drop surgical strike passes from the top of the arc is a lethal weapon that should be classified as such. The only blemish was he missed his sole three point shot. Other than that he looked like a perfect addition to a Laker team that prides itself on defense and a team-first mentality. Welcome (back) to the Lakers Marc Gasol!
  5. The best for last. You knew this one was going to be about Mr. Horton-Tucker. Talen was superb last night and if he keeps this up he’s going to make somebody sit. Who that will be is a tough question for coach Vogel to answer (and he said as much in his own post-game session) but it’s an awesome problem to have. Talen hit step backs from the mid-post out to the three point line while shooting 11-17 (4-5 from three, 7-9 from the stripe) bullied Clipper defenders on his way to the rim, grabbed 10 boards to go along with 4 assists and 4 steals. For as much as he had the ball in his hands he only had 2 turnovers which indicates to me he’s playing under control and not just barreling his way all over the court. He picked his spots perfectly last night and the Clippers, who boast some decent wing defenders named Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, had zero answer for him. While this may not happen every night and he certainly won’t play that type of role on this team on a nightly basis…yet…it was a blast to watch Talen deliver his best performance to date in an NBA uniform. Keep up the good work.

We got two more preseason games left against Phoenix and then this thing kicks off next week. So i expect we’ll see the true starting 5 to a limited degree on Tuesday and something approaching a normal rotation in the second game before the games matter. The emergence of THT as a ball distributor who can obviously get his own shot makes the lack of a true back up PG less of an issue. Between Talen, Gasol and Caruso we have the talent on the roster to create offense in the half-court when Schroder or James sits. That was one of my concerns for this team coming in and seeing how well THT has passed and created has been awesome. Kid needs a role. Back up point forward sounds about right to me.

Please check out our friends of the site, Gerald Glassford and Rafael Barlowe who run Lakers Fast Break and NBA Draft Junkies, respectively.

How Marc Gasol and Dennis Schroder Will Transform Lakers Starting Lineup

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Championship teams commonly make personnel changes to upgrade their roster but the Los Angeles Lakers added two new players to their starting lineup who will dramatically change their style of play for the next season.

What’s more startling is how the changes will impact Lakers’ superstars James and Davis, with point guard Dennis Schroder taking the ball out of LeBron’s hands and stretch center Marc Gasol creating spacing for AD. Defending NBA champions rarely risk major changes in how they or their superstars play but the Lakers are rolling the dice and counting on Schroder and Gasol to transform how the team takes advantage of James and Davis.

So why would the Lakers make such drastic changes after winning the title? The answer is a combination of wanting to repeat as champions and protect and preserve the health and longevity of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Specifically, the Lakers believe they will be a better team and have a longer championship window if they make the game easier for their superstars by not having LeBron have to play the point and by spreading the floor for AD.

That’s why Rob Pelinka’s first offseason move was to trade for OKC Thunder point guard Dennis Schroder. The Lakers saw how Rajon Rondo made the Lakers better and the game easier for LeBron James in their playoff run. With LeBron now locked under contract for the next three years, the Lakers want to do everything they can to alleviate the workload James has to carry during the regular season to keep him fresh and healthy for the playoffs.

Replacing 34-year old Rajon Rondo with 27-year old Dennis Schroder gives the Lakers a key player whose age and championship window perfectly align with 27-year old superstar Anthony Davis, who signed a 5-year extension. While not as elite a playmaker as Rondo, Schroder is a major upgrade offensively, giving the Lakers a sorely needed third scorer and elite 3-point threat as he averaged 18.9 points per game and shot 38.5% from deep.

Besides reducing LeBron’s ball handling and scoring workload, Dennis should also give the Lakers’ starting lineup another bulldog defender who can fight through screens and relentlessly hound opposing point guards. Schroder will also allow James to focus more on the defensive side of the ball, where he remains one of the best individual and team defenders in the NBA, especially against elite bigger wing scorers like Kawhi and Giannis.

While it may seem counterintuitive to take the ball out of LeBron’s hands, the Lakers want to keep James fresh and healthy for this and future seasons and empower him to pick and choose when and where to take over games. That’s why the Lakers traded for Dennis Schroder, an elite point guard who could free LeBron James from the primary ball handling and scoring duties and optimize and extend his career and championship opportunities.

The second major offseason change the Lakers made to their starting lineup was to replace their former starting traditional center tandem of McGee and Howard with 35-year old veteran playmaking stretch five center Marc Gasol. Once again, the Lakers made a dramatic decision to change how they play because of what they learned in the playoffs, as Markieff Morris’ elite play as a stretch four/five created optimal spacing for James and Davis to dominate.

Trading two defensive stalwarts like JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard for two offensive oriented centers like Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell again seemed counterintuitive, especially for a team whose identity was defense. While McGee and Howard had become unplayable due to matchups in the playoffs, the Lakers’ decision not to bring back either of them was a surprise because coach Vogel has always made protecting the rim his top priority.

Give Rob Pelinka, Frank Vogel, and the Lakers’ front office and coaching staff kudos for accepting their closing lineup with AD as a modern center had performed better than any of their starting lineups with a traditional center. Since they wanted to preserve and protect Davis by limiting his minutes at center, the Lakers decided to replace their starting traditional center with a modern offensive center who was an elite shooter and passer like Gasol.

While he’s no longer an elite shot blocker like McGee or Howard, Marc Gasol is still a former DPOY and elite positional defender with a high BBIQ who’s also still one of the premier passing and shooting centers in the league. Marc at center in the starting lineup will enable the Lakers to play the same five-out sets their closing lineups with Davis played that spread defenses and opened up lanes for LeBron and other Lakers to attack the rim.

The additions of Dennis Schroder and Marc Gasol showed the Lakers’ front office and coaching staff were willing to make major changes not only to upgrade the defending champions’ roster but to change how the team plays. Making bold moves that dramatically affect how the team’s superstars will play is an indication of a confident franchise that’s not afraid to go all-in and make changes to improve what was already the best team in the league.

While last year’s starting lineup lacked a true point guard and modern center, the Lakers still dominated in the playoffs and won their 17th championship despite not having home court advantage or hometown fans. Armed with a dynamic young point guard in Dennis Schroder and a savvy modern stretch center in Marc Gasol, the Lakers should be even better this season and odds on favorites to win their 18th NBA championship.

The true test will be whether the moves designed to upgrade the Lakers’ surrounding cast to unleash the powers of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be able to win in what’s looks to be another Covid-19 dominated season. We know the Lakers as an organization run every major decision by LeBron James and Anthony Davis so we have to believe the two superstars were on board with the moves and ready to embrace the team’s new direction.

While their starting lineup this season is likely to look a lot more like the rest of the league with a true point guard and modern center, the Lakers will continue to be bigger, deeper, and better than the rest of the NBA teams.

Who Are the Most Valuable Lakers? Ranking Every 2020-21 Laker Player!

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Nobody’s going to accuse Rob Pelinka of being too conservative, resting on his laurels, or standing pat when it came to deciding whom to bring back and whom to replace for the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

While he brought back 9 players from last season’s championship team, Rob approached upgrading the Lakers’ roster as if the team had fallen short and not won the battle of the bubble and posted the franchise’s 17th NBA title. He dramatically upgraded the Lakers at point guard and center, added two big time scorers to boost the team’s offense when LeBron James rested, and rejuvenated the roster with young players who fit Anthony Davis’ timeline.

Pelinka traded 33-year old shooting guard Danny Green and his first round pick for 27-year old point guard Dennis Schroder to replace 34-year old Rajon Rondo and then signed 34-year old Wes Matthews to replace Green. Then he replaced the Lakers’ old school traditional center tandem of 32-year old JaVale McGee and 34-year old Dwight Howard with 35-year old stretch five center Marc Gasol and 26-year old 6MOY Montrezl Harrell.

The impact Schroder, Matthews, Gasol, and Harrell will have on the Lakers chances of repeating can’t be overstated. Pelinka was basically able to fill all of the Lakers’ roster needs waiting for Kawhi kept them from last offseason. The Lakers not only expanded their lead but did so by stealing a key player from their top two competitors. Losing Harrell was a major blow to the Clippers’ offense and losing Matthews will clearly hurt the Bucks’ defense.

The infusion of these four new players completely changed the hierarchy of the Lakers’ roster, likely including the team’s starting lineup and rotations. Head coach Frank Vogel will have a much deeper and more versatile roster. The five players highlighted in the first row of the photo at the top of this article should be the Lakers’ new starting lineup with the five players in the second row comprising an outstanding bench in an eleven-man rotation.

Here’s where I ranked every player on the Lakers’ 2020-21 roster:

  1. LeBron James. No debate needed. LeBron is simply still the best player on the planet and on the Lakers. Expect him to begin to conserve energy during the regular season and pick the time and spots to take charge.
  2. Anthony Davis. Second best player in the league and a possible MVP winner this season. Will continue to play the five to close games and should be a top candidate for DPOY. Will separate himself as a player.
  3. Marc Gasol. Will revolutionize the Lakers offense with his basketball intelligence, ability to space the floor, and elite passing ability. Will play more minutes and be the perfect defensive anchor next to Davis.
  4. Dennis Schroder. Will start at point guard and free LeBron James from having to always handle the ball. Will play big minutes with and without LeBron on the floor. Could be serious candidate for MIP award.
  5. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Will start at shooting guard and reward the Lakers for giving him the new 3-year contract. Will continue to be one of the team’s best 3-point shooters and consistent perimeter defenders.
  6. Montrezl Harrell. Will come off the bench and be candidate to repeat as 6MOY. Will play starter minutes often alongside Anthony Davis or Markieff Morris. Will be solid defensively and unstoppable offensively.
  7. Markieff Morris. The catalyst on offense and defense when Anthony Davis plays the five. Will be consistent part of the Lakers’ lineup to close games. Will get matchup minutes at the five alongside AD and Trezz.
  8. Wesley Matthews. New and improved version of Danny Green. Will see big minutes, especially against teams with bigger wing scorers like James Harden or Kawhi Leonard. One of the team’s best defenders.
  9. Alex Caruso. That Alex is now 9th on this list is a testament to how much deeper the Lakers are this season. His great defense will continue to earn him key minutes and opportunities to close games.
  10. Kyle Kuzma. This is a critical season for Kyle’s career as a Laker and he will need to shoot lights out to keep his place in the rotation. He will share time with Matthews guarding the Hardens and Leonards.
  11. Talen Horton-Tucker. If having a talented and versatile ten-man roster were not enough, the Lakers also have THT, whom the coaches say is going to be hard to keep out of the rotation. He’s our lottery pick.
  12. Alfonso McKinnie. A 6′ 7″ small forward with athleticism, McKinnie has potential as a wing defender but could also be a placeholder in case somebody like Trevor Ariza were to become available.
  13. Quinn Cook. Quinn’s contract is not guaranteed so he is a placeholder and ‘break glass in case of emergency’ player. Like Dudley, he’s beloved by teammates and a big part of the Lakers’ great chemistry and culture.
  14. Jared Dudley. The best 14th man in the league, Duds is great mentor and bench coach for the Lakers who can still shoot lights out and play smart defense in a pinch. Big part of team chemistry and culture.

Behind the Lakers’ Decision to Dump Traditional Centers Howard & McGee

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One of the unanswered questions from the offseason is why the Lakers dumped traditional centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, whose elite rim protection had anchored the team’s third ranked NBA defense.

There have been extensive conversations about every move Rob Pelinka and the Lakers made this offseason but not a single word about why the Lakers decided to change course and dump Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. While the team formally expressed its appreciation to both players for their contributions to winning the championship, the Lakers had clearly made a decision not to bring back either of the two centers this offseason.

While ‘dump’ might seem too pejorative to describe what happened to Howard and McGee this offseason, ‘dump’ is exactly what the Lakers did to the two traditional centers who had anchored their defense all season long. They declined to offer a contract to Howard even after he embarrassingly accepted an offer they hadn’t made and then gave the Cavaliers one of their few remaining second round picks to get them to trade for McGee.

What’s surprising about the Lakers’ decision is McGee and Howard had started 70 of the team’s 71 regular season games and 18 of their 21 playoff games, leading to a 52–19 regular season record and 16–5 playoff record. Even more puzzling is the Lakers appear to short handed at center as they get ready to open the 2021 season with only 36-year old Marc Gasol and 26-year old Montrezl Harrell listed on their depth chart as centers.

So what’s the story? Why did the Lakers dump Howard and McGee? Why did Frank Vogel suddenly sour on a center tandem who had done a good job all season long protecting the rim and anchoring the Lakers’ defense?

Analyzing the center position for the Los Angeles Lakers always has to begin with Anthony Davis, who said from the start of his career with the Lakers he preferred to play power forward rather than center most of the time.

While he’s not going to start and often not even play half his time there, Davis is still going to play center to close games for the Lakers, which is why they only carried two centers last season and only need two this season. There was speculation after signing Clippers’ backup center Montrezl Harrell that he’d play the four because of his subpar defense and inability to protect the rim but it’s obvious now the Lakers view him primarily as a five.

With Anthony Davis, Markieff Morris, and Jared Dudley at the four, there’s no question Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell will play the five and replace Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee as the Lakers two-man center tandem. While Harrell’s signing was controversial, the opportunity to sign him along with seeds of doubt planted in the playoffs regarding the value of Howard and McGee could have been what triggered the Lakers’ changes at center.

Trezz is a unicorn talent and his speed, quickness, and motor will be a nightmare matchup for most centers and playing him alongside Anthony Davis at power forward would enable the Lakers to protect him defensively. Pairing an attack dog offensive center like Harrell with an elite playmaking and stretch five center like Gasol dramatically transforms the Lakers’ center tandem offensively so they can afford to sacrifice a little defensively.

Meanwhile, Howard and McGee became increasingly unplayable during the playoffs. Their lack of scoring threat on offense allowed teams to pack the paint and their inability to defend in space became a liability on defense. The emergence of Markieff Morris in the playoffs convinced Frank Vogel that the ability to space the floor on offense and speed and quickness on defense were more important than pure size alone to protect the rim.

The Lakers clearly wanted to retain most of their championship team as 9 of the 14 players on this season’s roster are returnees from last season but the players they added are going to dramatically change how the team plays. Center is the position that will see the greatest change in style of play at both ends of the court for the Lakers as Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell replace traditional low post centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee.

Overall, the Lakers will be sacrifice size and rim protection on defense by losing Howard and McGee but should be able to more than make up for that with the elite offensive firepower Gasol and Harrell will be able to deliver. The additions of a playmaking modern stretch five like Marc Gasol and a high-energy aggressive low post scorer like Montrezl Harrell are going to transform the Lakers’ half court offense into an high-scoring juggernaut.

In the end, that’s why the Lakers dumped Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. They saw an opportunity to significantly upgrade offensively with Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell that they just could not resist.