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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreAfter signing DeAndre Jordan and trading Marc Gasol, the Lakers are faced with a major potential season-defining decision whether to finally start Anthony Davis at the five or one of a pair of washed career backup centers.
Now that smoke is clearing, Jordan has been signed, and Gasol traded, who will start at center for the Lakers becomes the big question. Do the Lakers start Howard or Jordan like McGee in their 2019–20 championship run? Many observers believe replacing Gasol with Jordan signals the Lakers are going to reprise the center strategy from their championship run in 2020 and have Howard or Jordan start games and second halves like McGee.
Personally, I believe the Lakers’ decision to replace Gasol with Jordan had more to do with their strategy to have elite shot blockers at center all game rather than simply trying to replicate their championship center rotation. For me, the trades to bring in Russell Westbrook and move Marc Gasol confirm the news before free agency that Anthony Davis was willing to start and play major minutes at the five to make room to start two shooters.
This will all be resolved in training camp, which starts on September 28th, and preseason games, which begin October 3rd. So let’s take a look at the Lakers’ three options to start at center when the new season kicks off:
1. THE LAKERS START DEANDRE JORDEN AT CENTER
While there’s been Twitter chatter the Lakers might start Jordan, the idea they would start a player who was just waived by their major rival in the East whose value is now the league minimum seems like a long shot at best.
We’re not talking about the 2015–18 DeAndre Jordan who made 1st team All-NBA once, 2nd team All-NBA twice, and 2nd team All-Defensive once. We’re talking about the 32-year old version who couldn’t start for the Nets. Gone are the ‘Lob City’ days of 2.5 blocks per game, 1.0 steals per game, and 250 dunks per season. Today’s DeAndre Jordan would be lucky to average 1.5 blocks, 0.5 steals per game, and 100 dunks for the season.
The big problem with having DeAndre Jordan play JaVale McGee’s role as the team’s starting center for the first six to eight minutes of each half is it uses one of the critical two starting spots available for elite 3-point shooters. Since James, Davis, or Westbrook, are not high percentage 3-point shooters, the Lakers logical move would be to dedicate the two empty starting slots alongside of their three superstars to proven veteran 3-point shooters.
DeAndre Jordan would have to show the Lakers that he still was the vertical force on offense and defense as he was in his prime to be seriously considered as the Lakers’ starting center when the 2021–22 season starts.
2. THE LAKERS START DWIGHT HOWARD AT CENTER
Frankly, the arguments against starting Dwight Howard at center are the same as those against starting DeAndre Jordan. They limit the number of 3-point shooters the Lakers can play to create spacing for their superstars.
Like with DeAndre Jordan, the version of Dwight Howard the Lakers will get this season is nowhere near the superstar center who was 1st team All-NBA five times from 2008-2012 and the DPOY three times from 2009–2012. While Dwight was ultimately played off the floor in the Lakers’ bubble championship run, he still was an important defensive factor against Nikola Jokic as the Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets in five games.
There’s no question having JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard eat up minutes at center allowed Anthony Davis to spend 60% of his time at his preferred power forward position to avoid the physicality of playing center. Frankly, it doesn’t make sense for the Lakers to copy that strategy now that they have Westbrook playing at the one and desperately need 3-point shooters on the floor when LeBron, AD, and Russ play together.
The expectation is Dwight Howard, who’s already familiar with the Lakers’ offensive and defensive strategies, is a better fit for the Los Angeles’ center rotation and will be the primary backup at center over DeAndre Jordan.
3. THE LAKERS START ANTHONY DAVIS AT CENTER
The fact that the Lakers are heading into training camp with just DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard as the only two centers on the roster is clear cut evidence Anthony Davis is going to be playing major minutes at center.
The Lakers finished last season with three centers — Andre Drummond, Marc Gasol, and Montrezl Harrell — on the roster besides Anthony Davis. That led to Davis playing center 10% in regular season and 20% in playoffs. That was a strategy that backfired badly as none of the Lakers’ three centers were able to protect the rim defensively or provide a lethal vertical threat offensively. As a result, the Lakers did not bring back any of those centers.
Instead, the Lakers prioritized bringing in a ‘difference-making playmaker’ in Russell Westbrook, which exacerbated the team’s desperate need for better 3-point shooting but also gave Los Angeles the third superstar they coveted. The seeds for the Westbrook trade had been planted during a meeting between LeBron, AD, and Russ at James home in Los Angeles where all three superstars agreed to make sacrifices to make the Superstar Big Three work.
Anthony Davis supposedly agreed during that meeting that he would play a lot more at center in order to enable the Lakers to play two volume 3-point shooters to create spacing alongside their trio of rim attacking superstars.
4. DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHO STARTS AT CENTER?
Aside from AD’s claims that playing center makes him prone to injuries, the other criticism from those who want to start Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan instead of Davis at center is it simply does not matter in the end.
They point to the fact the Lakers’ starting lineups the last two years did not include Anthony Davis but still posted their best 5-man lineup net ratings. The McGee and Gasol starting lineups had superior 12.6 and 13.2 net ratings. The argument we won a championship with McGee as the starting center is compelling but ignores differences in the composition of the Lakers’ roster as well as changes in the quality of competition to be faced.
While starting DeAndre Jordan or Dwight Howard at center could work during the regular season since the Lakers with LeBron, AD, and Russ are likely to be a juggernaut, it clearly will have to change come the playoffs. Frankly, having to change starting lineups and style of play for postseason is one of the main arguments to start Anthony Davis all of the time. In other words, use the regular season to practice what you will do in the playoffs.
The Nets’ Big Three has raised the bar to win a championship and the Lakers need to start their best five players on the court from the opening tip. They cannot be deceived by thinking who starts doesn’t matter. It does.
While training camp and preseason should provide more information about the Lakers center rotation plans, the moves the Lakers have made and the roster they have built seemingly point to Anthony Davis starting at center.
Since teams already pack the paint to prevent LeBron James and Anthony Davis from getting to the rim, rolling out a starting lineup with only one quality 3-point shooter would be playing right into the defense’s hands. LeBron, AD, and Russ are all subpar 3-point shooters, which means the Lakers’ top priority in creating their starting lineup and rotations is to make sure to always have at least two elite 3-point shooters on the floor.
The only way the Lakers can achieve that goal when they play all three of their superstars is to have Anthony Davis play center so they can dedicate the shooting guard and small forward position to proven 3-point shooters.
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Two negative things Drummond did were:
1. Limit AD’s opportunities at the five.
2. Create discontent with Marc and Trezz. -
I agree, Bob. I don’t think Dwight is ‘washed up.’ I just don’t believe that he or DeAndre are starter quality at this point in their careers. They’re both backjup centers.
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Dumped or washed up, LT can’t help but denigrate the center position only to be forced to walk it right on back later on: “…or one of a pair of washed career backup centers.”
That from your opening paragraph of this article, lol…
For the record it’s only recently that Dwight became a backup and this will be DeAndre’s first stint, potentially. Hardly what one ought to describe as being “career” back up centers.
Man O man, anyhow welcome to the Lakers lads, Dwight for the third time. Dumped indeed…
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However you might want to describe it, the Lakers did dump Dwight and JaVale last season. By the way, this season they dumped Gasol, Harrell, and Drummond. But opted to bring back Dwight. And sign DeAndre. But that was simply to restore rim protection on defense and lob opportunities on offense.
I did support bringing Dwight back but did not agree with the decision to sign Jordan. Would have rather have had us go after Boogie or a young shot blocker like Damian Jones. In the end, all I have ever wanted for the Lakers center position is Anthony Davis to have the grit to say yes, I will play center if that’s best for the team.
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Not sure if stats matter much in this debate as it seems more philosophically driven than stat or fit driven. Nevertheless, we’ll see where numbers take us:
1.1 the number of blocks averaged by DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol last season. Dwight didn’t crack the 1’s at .9 BPG.
.5 which woyld the number of steals per game averaged by Gasol whereas DAJ and DH averaged .3 and .4 respectively.
21.9 which would be the minutes per game Jordan averaged compared to 19.1 (Gasol) and 17.4 (Dwight).
69 games played by Dwight compared to 57 for DAJ and 52 for Marc.
76.3 % FG for DAJ which easily paces the field compared to Howard’s 587 or Gasol’s .454 except that Marc was, essentially, a spot up shooter who relied on getting the ball on kick outs as evidenced by his 41% shooting from three.
Lastly, 8.4 which would be the number of RPG Dwight averaged last season compared to DAJ’s 7.5 and Marc’s anemic looking 4.1. However, considering how Marc spent much of his time on offense stationed at the top of the key and how centers are asked to box out for LeBron, AD or a guard to grab the board it makes sense. FWIW Dwight averaged his career-low in RPG as a Laker 2.0. On the Lakers centers are asked to box out, not board, at least not as much as traditionally required.
In my opinion we let the better player get away. Having both Dwight and DeAndre is a little too much of the same thing. Both take up space in the paint, can’t be expected to shoot reliably from the outside and both are going to expect some level of PT and role. Obviously the rift between Marc and the coaching staff and/or front office was too wide to bridge since as recently as June he was saying he would be back. Whether it was also a desire to simply not deal with NBA COVID protocols, being away from his home country or a little of all three (the scenario I believe most likely) it no longer really matters.
If I’m deciding who starts I would say DeAndre if he’s healthy. He’s younger, ought to have more lift and is a better shooter by a miniscule amount than Dwight is. Dwight can step right back into the exact same role he excelled in last time he was here and we’ll be the better for it. Once dumped twice ringed? Who knows, but the real debate ought not to revolve around who starts but who finishes. If it’s not AD then something has gone horribly wrong.
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After a perfect job building the championship roster, Rob and the Lakers front office got too cute before last season and many of their moves turned out to be mistakes, including Schroder, Harrell, Gasol, and Drummond. Note that three of the four mistakes were made at one single position: center. All because of the team bending over backwards to not force AD to play center.
In retrospect, considering he playing 10 mpg regular season and 20 mpg in the playoffs last season compared to 40% and 60% in the championship season, it appears the Lakers’ game plan last season was for AD to play as little center as possible. Thank God for Russ wanting to join LeBron and AD and the agreement between the three superstars that AD would play a lot more minutes at the five.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreAfter an injury plagued season, dismal first round exit, and 24th worst offensive rating, the Lakers revamped their entire roster in an extreme makeover to transform their offense into a potentially lethal juggernaut.
Aside from superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, 20-year old guard Talen Horton-Tucker appears to be the only other player the Lakers are bringing back from their 2020–21 roster, assuming Marc Gasol’s also gone. The extreme makeover confirms the Lakers didn’t believe they could win with last year’s roster or that they had enough offensive firepower to keep up with the emerging superteam the Brooklyn Nets have put together.
While the Lakers may have ignored players from last year’s roster, they were not afraid to bring back several key players from their bubble championship team, including star point guard Rajon Rondo and center Dwight Howard. They also didn’t hesitate to dip into their own history and bring back several former Lakers players who are excellent fits for what the they need right now, including veterans Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, and Trevor Ariza.
The Lakers upgraded six offensive areas in their makeover: volume 3-point shooting, better playmaking, more lobs and dunks at the rim, enhanced offensive rebounding, faster transition offense, and more shot creators.
1. PLAYMAKING TO FREE LEBRON TO PLAY OFF THE BALL
The Lakers number one goal this offseason was to find a ‘difference-making playmaker’ so LeBron James could evolve from the team’s defacto point guard and to full-time power forward to save energy and extend his career.
The mega trade for Russell Westbrook opened the door for the Lakers to add a legitimate third superstar, something that’s extremely valuable over a long season and empowers them to matchup better against the Brooklyn Nets. Most importantly, the trade allows the Lakers to finally move LeBron James to the four and Anthony Davis to the five, the positions at which they play the best and the team’s lineups excel both offensively and defensively.
While Westbrook exacerbates rather than helps solve the Lakers need for more and better 3-point shooting, the opportunity to add a dynamic third superstar who averages a triple-double like he does could not be passed up. What Russ brings in the form of relentlessness, energy, and explosivelness at both ends more than offsets the additional pressure he brings for more high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting to create spacing.
Re-signing Rajon Rondo, third best player in their championship run in the bubble, completes the Lakers’ plan to upgrade team playmaking not only to reduce the workload on LeBron but also to win the minutes when he rests.
2. VOLUME 3-POINT SHOOTING TO CREATE SPACING
Once the Lakers decided to go all in on a third superstar by trading for Russell Westbrook, Rob Pelinka’s focus immediately shifted to looking for high volume, high percentage 3-point shooters to create spacing.
Assuming Westbrook would play the one, James the four, and Davis the five, Pelinka focused on adding players who could play both the two and three, assuming those were the positions to dedicate to volume 3-point shooters. The Lakers signed six tested and proven veteran 3-point shooters who could play the two or three and who take a high volume of threes and make them at a high percentage to create spacing to unleash their three superstars.
The Lakers’ new corps of 3-point sharpshooters includes Wayne Ellington, who shot 42.2% on 6.0 threes per game, Kendrick Nunn, who shot 38.1% on 5.7 threes per game, and Malik Monk, who shot 40.1 on 5.0 threes per game. Other 3-point shooters include Carmelo Anthony, who shot 40.9% on 4.7 threes per game, Trevor Ariza, who shot 35.0% on 4.8 threes per game, and Kent Bazemore, who shot 40.8 on 2.7 threes per game.
With three superstars who are subpar 3-point shooters, the Lakers are not going to suddenly become a top-ten 3-point shooting team but they have the players to take and make a lot more threes than the last two years.
3. VERTICAL GRAVITY OFF LOBS AND DUNKS AT THE RIM
The Lakers attempted to upgrade their offense after winning their 17th championship by replacing traditional low post centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard with offensive centers Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell.
Unfortunately, that move undermined the Lakers’ rim protection and also reduced the number of dunks at the rim by all of their centers, including Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, and Andre Drummond. During their championship season, the Lakers led the league with 528 dunks. Last year, they had only 342 dunks, which represented a 35% decrease or 186 fewer dunks even though they carried four different centers on the roster.
While there’s no discernable proof that teams who dunk more win more, the Lakers strongly believe their dominating front court, demoralizing dunks, and physical bully ball style of play were part of their championship puzzle. Dwight Howard’s return, DeAndre Jordan’s signing, LeBron James’ move to power forward, and Anthony Davis’ increased minutes at center should all contribute to the Lakers bouncing back and leading the league in dunks.
The Lakers are clearly reverting back to the bully ball and physical play formula that won their bubble championship. They intend to lead and intimidate the league in blocked shots a dunks thrown down a the rim.
4. OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING AND DOMINATING THE GLASS
Just as the loss of McGee and Howard resulted in less rim protection on defense and vertical gravity on offense, the Lakers’ offensive rebounding stats declined with Gasol, Harrell, and Drummond at center last season.
During their championship run, the Lakers were 7th in the league in offensive rebounding with 10.7 offensive boards per game. Last season, with a new center corps, they fell to 17th with 9.7 offensive boards per game. With LeBron at the four and AD at the five and two backup centers in Howard and Jordan who have histories of being aggressive rebounders, the Lakers should be ready for a big bounce back in offensive rebounds.
Dominating the glass offensively can be demoralizing as a team can play great defense for 24 seconds only to see their opponent grab an offensive rebound and get another 14 seconds to attack the defense and try to score. Dominating the glass defensively is the key to the Lakers’ ability to score in transition offense as teams need the ball in order to run. The Lakers’ fast break starts with somebody on the team grabbing the ball and running.
The Lakers’ goal is to dominate the glass at both ends of the court, grabbing defensive rebounds to trigger transition fast breaks on offense and snagging offensive rebounds to generate second chance points on defense.
5. LEAGUE LEADING TRANSITION AND EARLY OFFENSE
During the 2019–20 championship season, the Lakers played at a 101.20 pace, which was the 7th best pace in the NBA that year. Last season, the Lakers pace dropped to 98.85, 21st out of the 30 teams in the league.
The single biggest change the Lakers will experience this season after trading for triple-double point guru Russell Westbrook is a dramatic increase in the team’s pace and points in transition or early offense opportunities. Last season, Westbrook posted a triple-double of 22.2 points, 11.5 boards, and 11.7 assists in 36.4 minutes per game with a league. With his relentless energy, Russ led the run-and-gun Wizards to a league best pace of 104.67.
Besides playing at a faster than normal pace, the Lakers have been one of the most efficient transition teams, scoring on a 3rd best 52.9% of chances last season and on a 4th best 52.2% of chances in their championship run. The addition of Westbrook should only add to the Lakers’ efficiency in creating transition and early offense opportunities. No NBA team can match the Lakers fast break. They will literally reprise their Showtime days.
The Lakers should lead the NBA in transition opportunities and execution with elite fast break playmakers like Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, and LeBron James attacking the rim, dishing out dimes, and finishing dunks.
6. MULTIPLE SCORERS WHO CAN GET THEIR OWN SHOT
The final area of offense the Lakers dramatically upgraded this offseason was adding proven big time scorers other than LeBron and AD capable of getting their own shots off the bounce when games were on the line.
Heading that list of players who could get their own high quality shot when needed are Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, two veteran scorers with a history of being able to get points for their teams down the stretch. Russ finished with 76.3% of his points scored in isolation and Melo with an 51.7% of his points in isolation. Both are proven veteran scorers with moves and handles to create high quality shots for themselves when needed.
Having two additional stars who are comfortable being isolated with the ball and able to create shots for themselves besides LeBron, AD, and Russ makes the Lakers offense much more dangerous and unpredictable. Teams won’t be able to double LeBron or AD like they were the last two years since they will have to respect Russ’ and Melo’s ability to beat their man off the dribble and create a high quality shot to close out games.
The addition of Russ and Melo have given the Lakers two more star scorers for teams to fear down the stretch of games besides James and Davis. It will be interesting to see whom the Lakers close games with this season.
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It’s amusing to see you come full circle on Dwight Howard. From fully embracing and ridiculing anyone who dared feel otherwise after he chose the 76ers it’s like you then decided to, once he became a Laker, create the Dwight Howard Fan Club. Just a funny thing to me…
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In terms of a statistical comparison of the roster it’s an exercise in opinion right now. The one and only thing we know is that LeBron and AD we’re not themselves all last season and the roster suffered a high number of injuries and games missed. So the only real wY to compare the 2 squads is to have AD and LBJ miss a ton of games. Basically, of this roster is healthy, they will fare. whole lot better than last seasosns.
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My dislike for bringing Dwight back last season was a desire to instead either play AD at the five or go out and acquire a true stretch five like Myles Turner. To me, Turner or Cousins would have been my choices at center. That’s why I was against re-signing Dwight last year. Unfortunately, the move for Gasol and Harrell turned out to be a huge mistake that led to Drummond, even a bigger mistake.
Once it bacame obvious that we weren’t going to go with a stretch five, then rim protection became the next priority, something neither Gasol or Harrell could provide. Thus my support for Dwight. I will be happy also with Jordan, although I worry he does not have enough left in the tank. But the Nets went modern, prioritizing a stretch five, while the Lakers went with rim protection, which could be a difference maker in a Finals matchup.
Don’t know why you’re so perplexed. It all makes perfect sense to me. First priority, go modern. Once Frank fucked that up, then go rim protection. But no matter what, don’t make the fatal mistake of starting either Howard or Jordan. That would be the dumbest move we could make with three superstars who aren’t good 3-point shooters. Have to put a pair of volume 3-point shooters next to the Big Three. Anything else plays right into defense’s hands.
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I’m still perplexed at how little impact everybody is expecting Russell Westbrook and all of the Lakers’ new additions to have on this team. Frankly, I expect the team to be among the top five both offensively and defensively.
When you look at the six areas highlighted by this article, it’s easy to see how much better this year’s roster is than last year’s roster or even the bubble championship roster. This team has better pieces at both ends of the court.
Most importantly, we should see Anthony Davis play a lot more center than the 10% he played during the regular season or 20% he played in the playoffs. We need at least the 40% he played the five during the regular season and 60% he played the five in the playoffs when we won the championship.
If AD plays at least half his regular season and playoff minutes at the five, the Lakers will win their 18th NBA championship.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreForget the doubters and haters who claim the Lakers made a big mistake trading for Russell Westbrook to replace Dennis Schroder as the team’s starting point guard because Russ’ subpar outside shooting is a poor fit.
The reality is Russell Westbrook is a legitimate third superstar for the Lakers who brings more than enough to the table to offset any concerns about his shot selection or subpar shooting percentages from midrange and deep. Westbrook gives the Lakers a Superstar Big Three to match the Nets, two superstars who can create a triple-double every game, a chance at a record for points in transition, and a positive net rating with LeBron on the bench.
Let’s take a closer look at what Russell Westbrook brings to the Los Angeles Lakers and the four reasons why he’ll be the perfect third superstar for LeBron and AD and will lead the purple and gold to the NBA championship.
1. LAKERS WILL HAVE A LEGITIMATE SUPERSTAR BIG THREE
Winning in the NBA comes down to superstars and the Russell Westbrook trade finally gives the Los Angeles Lakers the third superstar they desperately need to keep pace in the arms race with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets showed last season how important having a third superstar is when competing for an NBA championship. Despite injuries to all three superstars, Brooklyn still had two superstars available each game. Had L.A. had three superstars last season, they may have been able to work around the injury issues that led to their first round upset at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. The third superstar raises a team’s floor and ceiling.
Besides providing insurance against injuries and unique load management opportunities, having a third superstar also gives the Lakers the versatility to create lethal lineups that teams without three superstars simply can’t match. For example, if healthy, the Lakers could easily stagger their Superstar Big Three so they would have three superstars on the court to start and close games and at least two superstars on the court at all times during the game.
A legitimate Superstar Big Three gives NBA teams vital insurance against injuries to their superstars and the versatility to create dominating lineups with multiple superstars against whom most teams have no defense.
2. LAKERS WILL HAVE TWO TRIPLE-DOUBLE THREATS
The Westbrook trade not only gives the Lakers two superstars capable of posting a triple-double every game this season but also enables them to have a ‘difference-making playmaker’ on the floor all 48 minutes of game.
The early offseason reports confirmed the Lakers’ top priority this offseason was to acquire a transcendent top-10 point guard to enable LeBron James to give up the ball and move to power forward and Anthony Davis to center. Turning over control of the ball to Russell Westbrook, the greatest triple-double machine in league history with 184 career triple-doubles, guarantees the Lakers will continue to receive elite playmaking from point guard.
Westbrook’s win-loss record when posting a triple double is 138–46 or 75%. While his overall scoring numbers may decrease, Russ should be able to continue to average a triple-double playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Assuming Russ plays all 82 regular season games, the Lakers should have a great chance to win more than 60 games during the regular season, which would be their best record since they went 65–19 in the 2008–09 season.
Having two legitimate triple-double threats in LeBron James and Russell Westbrook should dramatically improve the Los Angeles Lakers’ ability to win games during the long regular season and critical playoff scenarios.
3. LAKERS WILL LEAD LEAGUE IN TRANSITION OFFENSE
With the addition of Westbrook, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to return to the halcyon days of Showtime, when Magic Johnson’s playmaking ignited the greatest fast break transition offense in NBA history.
Adding a superhero like the Flash to a team that already boasts Superman and Batman could be overkill but pushing the ball in transition has become the NBA formula for getting high percentage shots before defenses get set. Teams understand scoring in transition or early offense opportunities have become a necessity when playing teams who have solid half court defenses. Westbrook’s speed and pressure on the rim in transition are unmatched.
In a disappointing last season, the Lakers struggled mightily in transition, finishing 21st out of 30 NBA teams with a pace of 98.85 but they were still 8th out of 30 teams with 1.14 points per game in transition efficiency. With Westbrook running the point, the Washington Wizards finished first last season with a transition pace of 104.67, 1.82 points better than the Bucks, who were the second fastest team in the league with a pace of 102.85.
The addition of Russell Westbrook should enable the Lakers to recreate the halcyon days of Magic Johnson and Showtime and catapult themselves to the top of the league when it comes to transition pace and efficiency.
4. LAKERS WILL WIN THE MINUTES LEBRON JAMES RESTS
The addition of Westbrook will give Los Angeles Lakers an opportunity this season to do something no LeBron James team has been able to do in any of his 19 seasons in the league, which is win the minutes when he rests.
The last two seasons, despite having a second superstar in Anthony Davis, the Lakers still saw their net rating plummet whenever they rested LeBron James. Their production without LeBron hit rock botton against Phoenix. With LeBron James in the lineup, the Lakers posted a +4.8 point differential. When LeBron rested, the Suns destroyed the Lakers, who posted a -46.9 point differential without LeBron during the series, much without Davis.
The Lakers’ problems without LeBron can be attributed to their lack of a ‘difference-making playmaker’ to run the offense when the King was on the bench. The availability of two other superstars clearly changes that dynamic. Being able to play lineups with Westbrook and Davis that can dominate opponents when LeBron James rests could be the biggest advantage having a Superstar Big Three brings to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Winning the non-LeBron minutes could be the biggest game changer the Lakers will reap from trading for Russell Westbrook. Russ and AD plus three high percentage, high volume 3-point shooters could be a lethal lineup.
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After writing this article, I find the negativity aimed at the Lakers and Russell Westbrook to be appalling. Russ brings so much more to the table that offsets his subpar shooting that’s it’s silly not to view him as a massive upgrade over Dennis Schroder.
What we get from Russ is:
1. Legitimate Superstar Big Three with LeBron, AD, & Russ.
2. Two superstars capable of a triple-double each game.
3. The best fast break transition offense in the league.
4. A positive net rating when LeBron James is on the bench.I also believe playing with LeBron and AD will reinvigorate Russ’ career and anticipate he is going to have a career year and lead the Lakers to their 18th NBA championship.
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Dave. Means a lot coming from one my favorite authors. I have to say after writing this article, I'm appalled at the biased and negative comments from most of the media about the Lakers signing of Russ. Russ going to prove the critics wrong.
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 29, 2021
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It's an unfortunate monster we've created. It's din and crosstalk and gotcha moments. And so, it's great to read your stuff. It's thoughtful and it's good and it's very well written.
— David Murphy (@davem234) August 29, 2021
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1. LAKERS WILL HAVE A LEGITIMATE SUPERSTAR BIG THREE
Winning in the NBA comes down to superstars and the Westbrook trade finally gives the Los Angeles Lakers the third superstar they desperately need to keep pace in the arms race with the Brooklyn Nets.https://t.co/aI5YSJNzzq pic.twitter.com/GCjZYkhEW8
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 29, 2021
2. LAKERS WILL HAVE TWO TRIPLE-DOUBLE THREATS
The Westbrook trade not only gives the Lakers two superstars capable of posting a triple-double every game this season but also gives them a ‘difference-making playmaker’ on the floor all 48 minutes of game.https://t.co/aI5YSJNzzq pic.twitter.com/LMsFbi5iMH
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 29, 2021
3. LAKERS WILL LEAD LEAGUE IN TRANSITION OFFENSE
With the addition of Westbrook, the L.A. Lakers are looking to return to the halcyon days of Showtime, when Magic Johnson’s playmaking ignited the greatest fast break transition offense in NBA history.https://t.co/aI5YSJNzzq pic.twitter.com/3zIssFQOfX
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 29, 2021
4. LAKERS WILL WIN THE MINUTES LEBRON JAMES RESTS
The addition of Westbrook will give Lakers an opportunity this season to do something no LeBron team has been able to do in any of his 19 seasons in the league, which is win the minutes when he rests.https://t.co/aI5YSJNzzq pic.twitter.com/sYFZhDKfTE
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 29, 2021
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Thanks, Ken. Looking forward to Russ collecting receipts and demanding apologies. Lakers going to be exciting!
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) August 29, 2021
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreNothing would be sweeter than the NBA emerging from two Covid infected seasons to celebrate its 75th anniversary with an epic battle of Superstar Big Threes between the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA has always been a superstars’ league and the Lakers’ bold trade for Westbrook was just another inevitable step in the steady evolution of player movement that now has superstars openly colluding to create superteams. Never hesitant to swing for the fences or shoot for the moon, the Lakers created a LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook Superstar Big Three to match the Nets’ Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
By trading for Westbrook, the Lakers conceded they were unsure they could win running it back with the same roster and confirmed a Superstar Big Three was now the minimum price to compete for the NBA championship. With newly minted Superstar Big Threes, the Lakers and Nets enter the 2021–22 season heavily favored to win their conferences and locked and loaded on a collision course to meet next June in the NBA Finals.
Assuming both teams avoid the injuries that derailed their recent seasons, which superteam and which Superstar Big Three has the better chance of winning the 2022 NBA Finals: the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets?
THE ‘ALPHAS’: LEBRON JAMES OR KEVIN DURANT?
Any analysis to determine who has the best Superstar Big Three has to begin with a comparison of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the alpha dog superstars who are the Lakers’ and Nets’ team leaders and best players.
The question is whether LeBron James at 36-years old can continue to defy Father Time and deliver yet another MVP level performance or whether the time has arrived for Kevin Durant to take over as best player on the planet. While many NBA pundits have already moved Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of LeBron James as the best player on the planet, it could be premature to take the best player throne away from the King.
Both LeBron and KD struggled last season with injuries with James playing just 45 of the Lakers’ 72 regular season games due to a high ankle sprain and Durant only 35 of the Nets’ 72 regular season games due to hamstring. James averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists in 33.4 minutes per game shooting 51.3/36.5/69.8% while Durant averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists in 33.1 minutes per game shooting 53.7/45.0/88.2%.
The 36-year old James won four NBA rings: two with the Heat in 2012 and 2013, one with the Cavs in 2016, and one with the Lakers in 2020. The 32-year old Durant won two NBA rings with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. LeBron and Kevin are both looking for breakout seasons returning from injuries. The big question is whether LeBron has another championship run left in the tank or whether Kevin Durant will take over as the best player.
Assuming both are healthy, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are clearly the league’s top two superstars right now. Chances are the team who has the best alpha superstar is likely to be the team that wins the 2022 NBA Finals.
THE ‘ROBINS’: ANTHONY DAVIS OR KYRIE IRVING?
Heading into 2021–22, the next most important members of the Lakers’ and the Nets’ Superstar Big Threes are Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, the co-superstars or ‘Robins’ to LeBron James’ and Kevin Durant’s Batmen.
While Davis and Irving are their team’s second options, they are also both proven superstars who have championship resumes and rings to prove it. Both have the talent and mentality to be the best player in a playoff series. Both won championship rings as ‘Robins’ to LeBron James ‘Batman.’ Anthony won his championship ring playing with Lebron and the Lakers in 2020 while Kyrie won his playing with LeBron and the Cavaliers in 2016.
Davis and Irving, much like James and Durant, are looking to bounce back from injury riddled last seasons. Davis played in just 36 of the Lakers’ 72 regular season games while Irving played in only 54 of the Net’s 72 games. Davis averaged 21.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists in 32.3 minutes per game shooting 49.1/26.0/73.8% while Irving averaged 26.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists in 34.9 minutes per game shooting 50.6/40.2/92.2%.
Should alpha superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant battle to a draw, Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving could easily emerge as the superstar who wins Finals MVP for the championship Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets.
THE ‘CATALYSTS’: RUSSELL WESTBROOK VS. JAMES HARDEN?
The key to whether the Lakers or Nets win the NBA championship could depend on the performance of Russell Westbrook or James Harden, two enigmatic superstar guards who are wild card catalysts for their teams.
The 32-year old Westbrook and 32-year old Harden have both been severely criticized and maligned for never having won an NBA championship and for playing a selfish style of basketball not conducive to winning in the playoffs. This despite Westbrook winning MVP in 2017 and being voted to 9 different All-NBA teams during his 13-year career and Harden winning MVP in 2018 and being voted to 7 different All-NBA teams during his 12-year career.
As third wheels, Westbrook and Harden are the members of the Lakers’ and Nets’ Superstar Big Threes who will be forced to make the biggest sacrifices to their games in terms of fewer touches, shots, and possibly playing time. Russ averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 11.7 assists in 36.4 minutes per game shooting 43.9/31.5/65.6% while James averaged 24.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 10.8 assists in 36.6 minutes per game shooting 47.1/36.6/85.6%.
There’s a possibility the 2021–22 NBA championship could come down to how well Russell Westbrook and James Harden filled their roles as catalysts and figured out exactly what they needed to do for their team to win.
THE ‘CHAMPS’: LOS ANGELES LAKERS OR BROOKLYN NETS?
While basketball is a team game, the 2022 NBA Championship will likely be won by the team whose superstars play the best. That’s why pundits expect the Lakers and Nets with their Superstar Big Threes to be in the Finals.
The pundits believe the Nets’ Superstar Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden may be the best superstar trio in the history of the league with three elite scorers who can get buckets at all three levels. Meanwhile, those same pundits see the Los Angeles Lakers’ Superstar Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook as flawed, primarily because Davis and Westbrook are subpar 3-point shooters.
The Lakers’ and Nets’ Superstar Big Threes appear to be fairly matched when it comes to combined points, rebounds, and assists. The Nets are obviously better offensively while the Lakers probably better defensively. Right now, the Nets are favorites because of their elite 3-point shooting but the Lakers’ Superstar Big Three have the size, length, physicality, and athleticism to bully and dominate Brooklyn in the paint and on the boards.
We’ll get a better feel during the season whether the Lakers or Nets will finish as favorites. For certain, the arms race between these two teams is far from over and both will be looking to make moves at the deadline.
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Looking at the potential standings of the West and East conferences, it seems inevitable that the Lakers and Nets will meet next June in the 2022 NBA Finals.
In a way, that matchup of teams with Superstar Big Threes will be a battle between the Lakers ‘old school’ bully ball superstar trio and the Nets’ analytics driven ‘new school’ 3-point shooting trio.
I love the size, length, physicality, and athleticism of the Lakers Big Three and their roster. The big question for me is whether the Lakers’ superstars can shoot the three well enough to keep pace with the Net’s 3-point attack. To do that, the Lakers are going to have to defend like they did in the bubble and shoot good enough to keep the series close to win it all.
I also think both the Lakers and the Nets will be very active at the trade deadline and buyout market next summer to try and get an edge heading into the playoffs. Let’s hope both teams remain healthy and we can really have the most exciting NBA Finals in hisotry with two superteams staking their reps to win it all.
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I also give the Lakers the edge, Buba. It’s going to be a big, physical, bully ball Lakers roster versus a sharp 3-point shooting Net’s roster. In the end, it will be the Lakers size, length, physicality, and athleticism that will dominate the Nets in the paint and at the rim. But it’s going to be one of the greatest NBA Finals in league history. A real barnburner.
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Maybe more apropos closer to the season? Still don’t have Brooklyn getting out of the East. Everyone falling in love with Maserati and ignoring that the grind of the regular season favors the pick up truck or economy sedan.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreThe BIG question I have been asking myself is what is the Lakers plan for the center position? Here are what appear to be the three possible options.
1. AD starts or plays half the time at the five like the title season?
2. Frank actually starts Dwight or DeAndre in a screwball version of JaVale McGee to start each half?
3. They keep three centers besides AD and Marc Gasol starts as this year’s JaVale McGee.
No way any option but #1 makes good sense with Russ at the point. This is the BIG cunnundrum facing the Lakers.
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One of the things I’m excited to see is how Russell Westbrook’s unstoppable engine affects this Lakers team. Russ has never had the kind of supporting cast he will have on this Lakers team with two legitimate top-five superstars in LeBron and AD and a cadre of elite volume 3-point shooters to create spacing. The wild card factor in Russ joining the Lakers is his Mamba Mentality and how that is going to impact how the Lakers play and the contageous level of competitiveness with which Russ is going to infect the rest of the roster.
I think we’re going to see the best version of LeBron, Anthony, and Russell on this Lakers team and that’s what Mamba Mentality is all about in the end. Becoming the best version of yourself. To me, that’s Russ attacking the rim and making it easy for LeBron and AD to rack up points in the paint for all three superstars rather than shooting threes. As for the threes, the Lakers need to have at least two high percentage, high volume 3-point shooters in every lineup they roll out. Those are the guys who should rain threes to create space for Russ, LeBron, and Anthonly to attack the paint.
That’s the vision Russ, LeBron, and AD talked about before free agency and it’s the vision Pelinka has followed with laser precision as he totally rebuilt the Lakers roster, rejecting the run-in-back philosophy and instead embracing the small-ball-on-steroids lineup that won them the championshp in the bubble and the intrinsic value of a Superstar Big Three.
When the Lakers hang #18 and finally have the parade Covid cheated them out of, everybody will look back and realize the trade for Russell Westbrook was as important to the legacy of the Lakers as signing LeBron James and trading for Anthony Davis. It’s the move that catapulted the Lakers into another NBA dynasty.
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Buba. I’m not a religious person but willingly admit there are things in this universe that are beyond my ability to conceptualize. The Mamba Mentality link between Bean and Russ is one of those magical unknowns.
Frankly, I have this feeling in my heart that Russ coming to the Lakers is in a way a form of rebirth or reincarnation of the Mamba Mentality that we lost in last season’s Covid chaos but I’m hoping we rediscover this season. It’s hard when I watch Russ play not to remember the ferocity with which Kobe played.
For me, this is going to be the Mamba Season as we watch Russ’ bully ball attack mode terrorize opposing defenses and turn Lakers games into routs with the starters rooting from the bench as Frank and Rob unveil the LAL version of load management that has LA’s superstar big three resting most fourth quarters.
I’m most excited by the pace we’re going to play and how Russ and AD are going to dominate the non-LeBron minutes. Lakers will be top-five in offense and defense this year as they win their record setting 18th NBA championship.
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I loved this "small-ball on steroids" piece by Tom. https://t.co/0pUM6P4B7C
— David Murphy (@davem234) August 22, 2021
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As we all know, I’m going to live and die on the AD Starting Center bandwagon. I do think the trade of Marc Gasol and the Lakers’ decision to carry only two centers other than AD clearly signals that AD will start and play 2/3’s of his time at the five.
The reality is there is no logical alternative. Starting Howard or Jordan, two centers who no longer have the athleticism or energy to play starter minutes. Starting a non-shooter at center alongside three superstars who aren’t good 3-point shooters is not a winning formula. That’s obvious.
Thus, AD starting for the Lakers is the only viable solution with the roster all but finalized other than another wing defender and empty roster spot. For me, thast’s the best news of this offseason. Finally, the Lakers go all-in on small ball with AD at the five and two rim protectors and lob finishers backing him up.