AD NEED AN MD & LESS SCRUBS IN LA’S ANATOMY: THE 2021 LAKERS OFFSEASON THREAD
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Lakers counting on MVP-level season from Anthony Davis, who was central to everything they did this offseason
Why the Knicks' smart offseason sets them up for bigger moves in the near future
When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook, a blockbuster move if only by name, just about everyone's most modern basketball senses started tingling. Shooting. Spacing. The former creates the latter, and the Lakers -- having shipped out Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, their two most impactful 3-point marksmen -- appeared to be in short supply of both.
They went on to address a least a peripheral part of these concerns, adding Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn in free agency. I'm interested to see how many isolations the Lakers allow Anthony, how many plays they run to get Ellington shots, whether Monk's late stretch of excellence last season was indicative of a real corner turn, and how often Westbrook can contain his pull-up urges. But what I'm most interested in is how Frank Vogel, recently signed to a contract extension, deploys his lineups.
Westbrook is quite literally the worst volume 3-point shooter in history -- 30.5 percent for his career, the lowest mark of any player to attempt at least 2,500 triples. Three of the past four seasons he's been sub-30 percent from deep. When Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are on the floor together, will Vogel fill the other two spots with shooters to give his three stars at least operational space?
Let's say he puts two of Ellington, Monk, Anthony and/or Talen Horton-Tucker with the big three. That puts Davis at the five, where we know he isn't happy. Let's say Davis gets his preferred big man next to him, either Marc Gasol or Dwight Howard, so he can stay at power forward. That's four shooters the defense will be happy to let fire away. And in both cases, the defense has holes.
To varying degrees, all four of Anthony, Ellington, Monk and Nunn are defensive liabilities, and the Lakers no longer have Caldwell-Pope or Alex Caruso, their two best on-ball defenders from last season. Their point-of-attack defense stands to be pretty soft. Westbrook can make a difference here, if he chooses to commit. But more than likely, the Lakers will be scrambling to cover initial breaches.
Good thing they have Davis.
Between Davis and LeBron, the Lakers have two of the better help defenders in the league. I don't know how realistic it is to expect James -- who will turn 37 before the flip of the calendar -- to co-anchor a defense for 82 games, but he can certainly do it in spurts during the regular season and during the playoffs. Davis, however, should be putting out fires every night.
When he's healthy and focused, Davis can serve as a one-man defense. The Lakers know that, and they're banking on him to cover for the defensively deficient newcomers. The Utah Jazz were the best defense in the league last season, per Cleaning the Glass, and it was almost entirely because of Rudy Gobert. As the theory goes, you don't have to contain so much on the perimeter if you have a windmill behind you.
There are ways to neutralize a rim protector like Davis. Obviously, teams who play small or with a shooting big will pull him away from the basket, but he's so good at splitting the difference between contesting on the perimeter and recovering to the paint that L.A. can get away with what would be an impractical coverage range for virtually any other big man. It's a lot to ask, but Davis can do it. He's going to have to operate at a Defensive Player of the Year level all season.
The Lakers will make things easier on him as much as possible. They brought back the aforementioned Howard, who adds another layer of paint protection and rebounding when he's alongside Davis. Yes, two-big lineups that include Westbrook will lack spacing, but again, Davis makes this feasible with his ability to dominate in tight quarters, and overall the Lakers have proven they can win the big-small battles.
When the Lakers won the title in 2020, they were a bottom-10 team in both 3-point makes (11.0 per game) and percentage (34.9), and those numbers did not significantly change in the postseason. They won by bludgeoning teams with brut size and rim attacks (an approach Westbrook fits), and because Davis shot from the midrange like he was Kevin Durant.
That last element is yet another Davis bailout. When he faces up and simply cooks his man one-on-one or rises up over him, spacing isn't such a problem. LeBron can consistently overpower his man, too. Westbrook can still get into the lane almost at will, and he's a great interior passer as a byproduct of his drives. He'll do more damage with lobs, drop-offs and last-second hitters to flashers than he will on kick-outs to shooters, anyway.
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Davis makes it easier to imagine an optimized Westbrook, who has never enjoyed a pick-and-roll partner with this kind of size and athleticism. The Lakers went in the tank with LeBron off the floor last season, but this year Westbrook and Davis can play with three shooters (which, again, is feasible because of Davis' ability to cover the cracks) and put ridiculous downhill pressure on the defense.
The Lakers are still LeBron's team, but this is Davis' season. If the Lakers didn't have him, the addition of Westbrook combined with the defensive subtractions of Caruso and KCP would feel like much tougher, if not impossible, challenges to overcome. Davis allows L.A. to reap the rewards of Westbrook's shot creation and the added shooting of Ellington, Monk and Anthony without losing the net war.
Given this extreme two-way responsibility, and assuming the numbers he's put up his entire career when healthy, Davis has a shot to be right in the thick of the MVP race. In fact, the Lakers might not be able to withstand much less than that.
Why the Knicks' smart offseason sets them up for bigger moves in the near future
Dr. Narcisse
Veteran
According to NBA Jump,
Lakers had the #2 offense when LeBron was on the floor. #28 when off or missing games. Now you got Russ carrying the load.
We already know they were top flight defensively without AD/Bron to end the year. They stay healthy they'll figure it out.
The bottom line stop worrying cause the Lakers made a chess move. Bron will figure it out again (if healthy)
Lakers had the #2 offense when LeBron was on the floor. #28 when off or missing games. Now you got Russ carrying the load.
We already know they were top flight defensively without AD/Bron to end the year. They stay healthy they'll figure it out.
The bottom line stop worrying cause the Lakers made a chess move. Bron will figure it out again (if healthy)
ALonelyDad
Veteran
He better because right now its not looking good for him. He's Montrezz Harrell without the athleticism. Sadly he's stuck between 4 and 5 and just not good enough for either.
According to NBA Jump,
Lakers had the #2 offense when LeBron was on the floor. #28 when off or missing games. Now you got Russ carrying the load.
We already know they were top flight defensively without AD/Bron to end the year. They stay healthy they'll figure it out.
The bottom line stop worrying cause the Lakers made a chess move. Bron will figure it out again (if healthy)
Not sure that means anything considering they got rid of Caruso, KCP, Morris, and Matthews. With the roster they have now they're gonna have to lean heavy on Bazemore for perimeter defense, hope that Ariza isn't completely washed and someone else makes a leap.
Dr. Narcisse
Veteran
I believe AD is going to be DPOY status again so that'll really help. Vogel will work his magic on guys like Nunn and THT. Maybe even Monk will surprise.
Talen Horton-Tucker says he wants to improve as defender, shooter and playmaker with Lakers this season
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Talen Horton-Tucker wants to improve as defender, shooter and playmaker
My son better in the lab every single day
I'm talkin two a days in the gym, hundreds of shots coming off of screens, improving his left hand, and watching tape on defense
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A rapid ascension from the G League, to the fringes of the rotation, to a bonafide role player in the NBA led to Talen Horton-Tucker securing a hefty payday this summer. And as a young player who still has so much untapped potential, Horton-Tucker is a source of possible upside for a Lakers roster full of mostly finished products.
His unique skill set, size and versatility means he could be used in a number of ways. Last season, the Lakers used Horton-Tucker as a point guard and in multi-guard lineups as well. The pay raise by the Lakers indicates not just the team’s belief in him, but the expectation of production from him moving forward.
The current Lakers roster differs vastly from last year’s, which could require Horton-Tucker to adapt his play as well. Talking to the media for the first time after signing his new three-year deal, Horton-Tucker spoke about what facets of his game he’s looking to improve in over the summer.
“Well first, defensively, just get better all around and try to just use my youth and my length to just get after it and kind of fill a need for that,” Horton-Tucker said. “And also, I need to continue to improve my 3-point shooting, my playmaking, a lot of different things like that. So just being able to grow around this group is going to be amazing.”
One of the biggest requirements of role players around LeBron James and Russell Westbrook this season will be shooting. That was not a strength of Horton-Tucker’s last year, as he hit just 28.2% of his attempts. As he plays more games and there is more tape on him, teams will learn more and more how to approach defending him, which will almost certainly result in them daring Horton-Tucker to knock down 3-pointers.
Talen Horton-Tucker is working on his jumper with Lethal Shooter[/paste:font]
The acquisition of Westbrook likely means one of him or James will be on the court at all times this season, limiting the playmaking and on-ball opportunities. Last season, pick-and-roll possessions accounted for over one-third of Horton-Tucker’s time on the court, per Synergy, while he had just 116 spot-up possessions (where he ranked in the 10th percentile).
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THT may have to become a better shooter this season if he wants to make an impact on the Lakers.
Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
Offensive adjustments aside, one of the surest ways for Horton-Tucker to find consistent minutes will be defensively. But on a roster lacking many strong defenders and under a defense-first head coach, the path to playing time is clearer if Horton-Tucker can make an impact defensively. He’s confident he will do so, for one simple reason.
“Just playing under Coach Frank,” Horton-Tucker said, “He doesn’t let you forget the defensive principles that we have, so I feel like I just need to chase guys, also... being more aware off-ball is something I can do, just watching a lot of film and things like that. So I feel like I’m doing the right things, and just trying to keep my body in shape is something that I could do better also.”
Horton-Tucker showed flashes of his defensive potential last season. With a wingspan north of seven feet, he theoretically should have the ability on the defensive end to be a versatile defender that can make an impact in multiple ways.
Lakers Season in Review: Talen Horton-Tucker[/paste:font]
The Lakers have officially re-signed Talen Horton-Tucker, maintaining a baseline of youth
While his role will change this season, playing alongside more stars and high-level players will ultimately help keep Horton-Tucker’s role simple within the team.
“Just being able to come in and kind of fill any void that we need defensively first,” Horton-Tucker said of ways he could adapt his game to get on the floor. “And then offensively, I feel like that will always come. I feel like me being on the floor with all the great guys that we have, that will create ample opportunity for me to showcase what I can do. And I feel like there is going to be an opportunity if I do those things.”
At just 20 years old, Horton-Tucker’s future is as bright as can be with the Lakers. It’s rare for a player so young to contribute to a title contender as he did last season, but much of Horton-Tucker’s career to date has been him breaking the mold. Based on how he’s adapted and progressed in his two seasons so far, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can continue adapting and progressing at a high level. If he does, Horton-Tucker could quickly become an x-factor for the Lakers that could push them that much closer to title No. 18.
Talen Horton-Tucker wants to improve as defender, shooter and playmaker
My son better in the lab every single day
I'm talkin two a days in the gym, hundreds of shots coming off of screens, improving his left hand, and watching tape on defense
Say it for the people in the back. My guy will do anything to avoid using with his left hand. I feel like he will make those improvements on defense, he has the type of body to be a PJ Tucker style defender if he really commits.Talen Horton-Tucker says he wants to improve as defender, shooter and playmaker with Lakers this season
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Talen Horton-Tucker wants to improve as defender, shooter and playmaker
My son better in the lab every single day
I'm talkin two a days in the gym, hundreds of shots coming off of screens, improving his left hand, and watching tape on defense
Man, it's crazy to think that with all the fukkery of this past years team, we still would have won the chip pretty convincingly if we'd stayed healthy
But I guess the Clips/Nets could say the same too
I think so too. Could see him starting by the time the season is done at the other guard spot depending on his improvement
But I guess the Clips/Nets could say the same too
I think so too. Could see him starting by the time the season is done at the other guard spot depending on his improvement
Yeah brehs this might be the year THT begins to really show out. At the rate he’s gone we already was expecting a leap but Russ’ impact on younger players can’t be overstated. He’s going to have Trillin’s development on rocket fuel….
