1 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to the State of the Lakers show on dash Radio. 2 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: No ROJ today, just Jason Rogers working as we speak, 3 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 1: fortunately with my job in flexible enough to make some 4 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: time to get into the film from the weekend. A 5 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: little bit of scheduling info for this week. We will 6 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: have this show posted on our podcast feed shortly and 7 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: we'll air on dash Radio tomorrow morning at seven am. 8 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: Then on Wednesday morning, we're recording a show that will 9 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 1: cover Tuesday night's game, which will be very important because Lebron, 10 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: Russ and a d will all play together for the 11 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: first time, so we will, like I said, break that 12 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: down on Wednesday. That will air on Thursday morning on 13 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: dash Radio. And then Thursday night is the last preseason 14 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: game for the Lakers, and that will be the last 15 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: or that will be the first game this year where 16 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,279 Speaker 1: where rog and I will do one of our postgame shows, 17 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: which will be fun because we'll give you guys a 18 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: chance to hop on and talk some basketball with us 19 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: rather than just rog and I droning on for forty 20 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: five minutes, uh NonStop. So that'll be fun looking forward 21 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: to it. And then from there, the vast majority of 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 1: our shows during the regular season will be postgame shows, um, 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: just like we did to end last year. Anyway, today 24 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: I wanted to get into the nitty gritty of the 25 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: last two preseason games and the stuff that I noticed 26 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: on film, UM to kind of stay over arching to 27 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: start again. I'm going to continue to harp on this 28 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: for the for especially coming into this last week of 29 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: the preseason. Don't pay attention to the final result. The 30 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:58,559 Speaker 1: Lakers are are not haven't even attempted to play their 31 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: best lineups, which will include their three best players. And 32 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: in addition to that, they're just testing a lot of 33 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: stuff and there's a lot of feeling each other out 34 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: on the offensive end of the floor, which ironically has 35 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: been the problem in the preseason. There's been a lot 36 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: of talk um coming into this year that the the 37 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: defensive end would be the problem for this team, and ironically, 38 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: here in the early going, I'm actually pretty encouraged by 39 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 1: the defense, and the offense just looks sloppy, which is 40 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: a factor of a lot of different things. Stars not 41 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: playing of Russ has been absolutely horrible so far. On 42 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: the offensive end, which we'll talk about. Anthony Davis still 43 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: can't make a jump shot, and Lebron James, who I 44 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: believe is the best offensive force of this era, literally 45 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: has only played in one game, so not too much 46 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: to take away there. There have been enough pockets of dominance, 47 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: enough little bits of of really good Laker basketball to 48 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: keep me encouraged, like the run in the middle of 49 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: the second quarter against Phoenix last night where they turned 50 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,959 Speaker 1: a forty to twenty eight deficit into a forty one 51 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: to forty lead, including some fantastic defense and uh, running 52 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: the floor and transition and getting high quality looks. And 53 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: if you're looking for one last kind of overarching positive 54 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: theme to uh to kind of give you a glass 55 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: half full approach to the Lakers record so far in 56 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: the preseason, it's the fact that they have a one 57 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: oh five point seven defensive rating with Anthony Davis on 58 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 1: the floor. Um, he's played in three games and I 59 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: think he's played about twenty two minutes per game ish, uh, 60 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: so call it sixty something minutes. And last year they 61 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: had the best defensive writing in the league at one 62 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: oh six point eight, and there one oh five point 63 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: seven with Anthony Davis on the floor so far in 64 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: the preseason. So translation, they can guard still so far, 65 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: at least in the preseason, so that's something to take 66 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: as just a little, a little a positive nugget moving 67 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: forward again tomorrow night against i think gets Golden State 68 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: at home with Lebron Russe and a d too play, 69 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: that will be the first time that we can kind 70 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: of get a real look at what some of the 71 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: best Laker lineups will look like, which will include their 72 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: best players. Anthony Davis has already said he plans on 73 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: playing the five with that group, which is really good 74 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: because that's going to allow the Lakers to have more 75 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: space to operate, which is absolutely imperative with Russ. So 76 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: on that note, let's get started with Russell Westbrook because 77 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: that's kind of where all of the talk is after 78 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: these first two games. You know, as is usually the case, 79 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: there's a lot of good and bad, which has been 80 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: the story with Russ throughout his entire career. To give 81 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: and the take, you know, as as we like to 82 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: call it, the let's start with some good on the 83 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: defensive end of the ball, with exception of a handful 84 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: of possessions where he's fallen asleep and or died on screens, 85 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: which is something he's done kind of periodically over this 86 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,600 Speaker 1: last half of his career, He's done a good job 87 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: of being physical at the point of attack, especially on 88 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,359 Speaker 1: those screens when they end up switching. He does a 89 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: really good job of getting into the big in boxing 90 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: out things along those lines. I still think that when 91 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: his job is simplified, when Lebron and Anthony Davis are 92 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: on the floor, that he will have an easy enough 93 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 1: defensive job that with his physical tools, he'll be able 94 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: to be very impactful. That I tweeted about this earlier, 95 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna make a lot of references in this pod too, 96 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: specific plays in the game, and if you go to 97 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: my Twitter feed, which is at underscore Jason lt, you 98 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: will see if you go to tweets and replies and 99 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: just scroll down, you're gonna see dozens and dozens of 100 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: little clips that I took out and put captions on 101 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: so you can get a general idea of what I'm 102 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: talking about. But I'm gonna make a reference to a 103 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: lot of those, so if you want to see them, 104 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: just go to my Twitter feed in order to see them. Anyway, 105 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: there was a specific play in particular where Russell Westbrook 106 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: I believe, was guarding Landry Shammitt, who had already made 107 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: it three earlier in the game on the first possession, 108 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: and there was a basic little dribble hand off with 109 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 1: Jay Crowder on the right wing, and Russ just flat 110 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: out did you didn't even get caught on the screen. 111 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: He just didn't try to fight over the top and 112 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: get to Shammon. Shammon got his feet set and made 113 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: a wide open three at the top of the key. 114 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: You know, in the past, when he had tons of 115 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 1: offensive responsibility, that was something you could live with because 116 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: at least in that regard, you understood that he had 117 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: so many responsibilities that it was kind of a fatigue thing. 118 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 1: It was a saving energy kind of thing, like give 119 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: up a handful of open shots on one end so 120 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: that he has the energy to run the offense on 121 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 1: this team with what you're asking him to do, with 122 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 1: all of the talents surrounding him, and with two of 123 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: the top six or seven players in the entire game 124 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: of basketball that are in front of you. In those responsibilities, 125 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: Russ needs to be more dialed in on the little things. 126 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: The same goes for Lebron, who is also in the 127 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: past had a history of taking possessions off defensively. You 128 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: can't do that on this team, for one, you're not 129 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: gaining anything. On the other end, they don't need enough 130 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: out of you offensively to justify that type of trade 131 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: off and fatigue. So that kind of thing is that 132 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: is the type of stuff from the past few years 133 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: that Russ is gonna need to knock out. And my 134 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: guess is that with the level of accountability he'll be 135 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: under here with Anthony Davis and with Frank Vogel, that 136 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: that's something that he'll be able to work on. And 137 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: in general, you know, lasadaisical type of basketball percolates down 138 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: the roster and you'll see that in games where the 139 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: energy is low, but then you see in the second 140 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: quarter when the energy picks up, Russ was fantastic on defense. 141 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: So the point is is, like I think, in general, 142 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: in the regular season, in front of packed houses, with 143 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 1: the stakes that the Lakers will bring to the table 144 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: every game is one of the best teams in the league. 145 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: My guess is he'll be able to knock some of 146 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: that out, which will be something as a silver lining, 147 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: like I said, on the defensive end, from something that 148 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: you can take from Russ. Early here in the season, 149 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: I wanted to talk for a second about his turnovers. 150 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: So obviously that's been the hot topic. He had a 151 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: little quote that was taken out of context last night 152 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: where he said, you know, keep that same energy in 153 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: the regular season, and he was joking that was something 154 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: that was missing in the tweet that went viral um. 155 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: But in general with Russ, the turnovers to me are 156 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: quite simply a product of his lack of aggression at 157 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: the rim. If you look at a shot chart from 158 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 1: last night, I believe there are five of his twelve 159 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: attempts where at the rim, and seven of them were 160 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: from the perimeter. In some way, shape or form. That's 161 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: just a bad balance for a guy like Russ. And 162 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: what ended up happening is throughout the last two games 163 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,239 Speaker 1: he was passing out of single coverage. The whole point 164 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: of of playmaking anything in basketball, you have to break 165 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: down the defense at some level, because no one's just 166 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: going to give you an open shot for no particular 167 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: reason at all whatsoever. You either need to beat your 168 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: man in one on one coverage to create a good 169 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: shot for yourself, or you need to beat your man 170 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: in one on one coverage to an extent that warps 171 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: the defense so that you can to an open shooter 172 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,679 Speaker 1: or an open guy in the dunker spot. What Russ 173 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: was doing a lot in the last two games was 174 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: beating his man in one on one coverage, getting a 175 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: step to the point where he could continue all the 176 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: way to the rim or take some type of shot, 177 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: but then, after not seeing any help defense, kicking to 178 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: somebody who was not open, which would either force him 179 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,440 Speaker 1: to throw away from the defender, which would cause him 180 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,679 Speaker 1: to throw it out of bounds, or he'd throw directly 181 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: to the defender. Just by virtue of being more aggressive 182 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: at the rim, even if you get your shot blocked, 183 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 1: even if you miss some layups or miss some floaters, 184 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: being aggressive to the rim and taking shots there is 185 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: what's going to cause the defense to warp in so 186 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: that those same passes that he's turning over are now 187 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 1: available now. To Russ his credit, he did in the 188 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: postgame interview specifically mentioned that he specifically said that he 189 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: was passing out of single coverage and that that was 190 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: something he needed to uh to address moving forward. That 191 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: kind of overpassing is kind of a natural side effect 192 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: of coming to a team as a star player. When 193 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: there's this kind of vibe over the whole group like, 194 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: we need to sacrifice, we need to all give into 195 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: the larger goals. So I'm gonna take less shots, so 196 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:18,679 Speaker 1: I'm gonna overpass. I'm gonna overpass. What they really need 197 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,200 Speaker 1: Russ to do when he does have the ball is 198 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: to be Russell Westbrook, because otherwise he's not helping anything. 199 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:27,680 Speaker 1: You need to aggressively attack the rim, aggressively try to 200 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: finish there. Even if you miss layups, are are are 201 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: or are blocked. Just by bringing the shot blocker over, 202 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: you're giving Anthony Davis or Dwight Howard a chance at 203 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,760 Speaker 1: the offensive rebound. Or if you make they start making 204 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: stuff there, guys are gonna start sucking into help and 205 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: then you can start spreading out to your shooters. So 206 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: I'm not concerned about the turnovers in that regard. It 207 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: kind of struck me as just a byproduct of trying 208 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,439 Speaker 1: to be too un selfish, which I don't think will 209 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: be a problem with Russ in the long run. The 210 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: next thing I wanted to talk about with Russ was 211 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: his shot selection. And you know, this is something that 212 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:02,599 Speaker 1: I have a feeling like your fans are gonna be 213 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: dealing with all season long, and It's gonna take some 214 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: getting used to, and I think there are gonna be 215 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: moments where it's infuriating. The hope would be that in 216 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 1: the long run, because of the accountability of Lebron in 217 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: a D and because of the fact that the team 218 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: is so good that he doesn't need to take some 219 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,200 Speaker 1: of the shots that he took when he was in 220 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: Houston and when he was in Washington or in Oklahoma 221 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: City after Kevin Durant left, Hopefully he'll be able to 222 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: rein this in a little bit. What was kind of 223 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: bizarre about the shot selection was similar to what I 224 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: complained about with a D how he tries to find 225 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: his rhythm by taking difficult shots. Russ does the same thing, 226 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: but he's not a good shooter. Like Russ is never 227 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:49,119 Speaker 1: going to be a good shooter. But if he controlled 228 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 1: and reined in his shot selection, he could be a 229 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: He could be effective enough in that jump shooting role 230 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: that it could not hurt the team, which is what 231 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: you need. But what he's trying to do is what 232 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis is doing, gain his rhythm as a jump 233 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: shooter despite not being a jump shooter. And there were 234 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: a bunch of times in the first half where early 235 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: in the shot clock he would take difficult jump shots 236 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: that even great shooters would struggle to make. If Steph 237 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: took this shot, it would be a tougher shot for him. 238 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: If Dame took the shot, it would be a tougher 239 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: shot for him. Here's Russ, a proven bad shooter who's 240 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,480 Speaker 1: not in a rhythm, who doesn't really have anything going 241 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 1: with his jump shot, taking early clock tough jump shots 242 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: to try to build his rhythm. For a player like that, 243 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,920 Speaker 1: that's akin to throwing away a possession. And that's the 244 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: kind of thing that the Lakers are gonna have to 245 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: at some point try to address with him because it's 246 00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:50,400 Speaker 1: just not necessary with this level of talent on the roster. 247 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 1: I'll give you some examples. There was a play early 248 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: in the game, kind of post up on Jay Crowder. 249 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:56,960 Speaker 1: I think it was either Jay Crowder Mchal Bridges on 250 00:12:57,000 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: the right block just not an advantage for him to 251 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: begin with it. But it's early in the clock and 252 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,079 Speaker 1: he takes a one legged fade away and leaves it short. 253 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:06,959 Speaker 1: That's a tough shot for the best shooters in the game. Again, 254 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 1: later on same thing, kind of uh runs a pick 255 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 1: and roll with Anthony Davis at the top of the key, 256 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: the defenders fighting over the top of the screen, and 257 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: the big man is kind of showing it's just not open, 258 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: and he ends up trying to draw foul kicking his 259 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: leg out and he actually makes the three, which is 260 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:26,959 Speaker 1: the crazy part. But it was early clock and a 261 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: contested pull up three off the dribble off of a 262 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: ball screen when Anthony Davis kind of had an opportunity 263 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: to slip it and make something happen again that is 264 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 1: a throwaway possession. It ended up adding up to three points, 265 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: but it wasn't a good shot by any stretch of 266 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: the imagination. He took another. He took a couple of 267 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,960 Speaker 1: uh post up type of uh turnaround shots that he 268 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:51,839 Speaker 1: missed that he tried to bake. And then late in 269 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: the second quarter there was one where in transition, after 270 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: getting a stop while the team is on a run, 271 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: he drove along the left side of the floor, got 272 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: DeAndre Eton on a switch and took a one legged 273 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 1: fade away, tried to bank it in off the glass 274 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: and wasn't even close. Again, a super difficult shot for 275 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: a great shooter, let alone Russell Westbrook, and those are 276 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,439 Speaker 1: the kinds of things where when you look at Russ's efficiency, 277 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: it's not just a product of him missing shots, it's 278 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: him taking bad shots. The way that there are two 279 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: ways to improve your efficiency, become better at the shots 280 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: you take and take better shots. And so those are 281 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: the kinds of things that that Russ is going to 282 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: have to clean up in the long run with his team. Again, 283 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: I'm not I'm going to work really hard and I'm 284 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: going to continue to press this idea to the Laker 285 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: fan base. Let's not really evaluate the Russell Westbrook situation 286 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: until a couple of months into the season. For starters, 287 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: they have a really easy schedule to start the year, 288 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 1: which will allow them to rack up wins despite playing 289 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: flawed basketball, which will be important in the long run 290 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: because as things get tougher, they will have more repetition 291 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 1: to to lean back on and and use to hopefully 292 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: elevate their game to match the increasing difficulty of their 293 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 1: schedule at the In the long run, Lebron James, you know, 294 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: as a problem solver, is going to find a way 295 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: to use Russ in a better way than what he 296 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: has been used in the previous season. So I'm not 297 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: too concerned about it. All right, We're gonna move on 298 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: to Anthony Davis. The main thing I want to talk 299 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: about with Anthony Davis was his defense throughout that game 300 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 1: against Phoenix last night. He was incredibly vocal and incredibly 301 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: active with his hands, and his length is such a 302 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: problem that he presents. Uh, he can disrupt plays in 303 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 1: a position that usually doesn't disrupt plays. So I this 304 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: is another clip you can find on my Twitter feed. 305 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: There was a play where DeAndre Jordan's was in a 306 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: drop coverage and pick role and I can't remember who 307 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: the guard was that was guarding the pick and roll, 308 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: but Anthony Davis was guarding a shooter in the strong 309 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: side corner, which I believe was Jake Crowder. At this point, 310 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: the strong side quarner in a corner and every NBA 311 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 1: defense does not help. The reason why the strong side 312 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: corner doesn't help is NBA shooters are really good and 313 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: it's such an easy pass that any ball handler in 314 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: the NBA, when they see help coming from the strong 315 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: side corner, can push the ball out there and get 316 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: a good look. So the vast majority of NBA teams 317 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: helped from the weak side corner and try to make 318 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 1: teams make really difficult cross court passes. In this play, 319 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis was able to close in and help and 320 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 1: shut down Chris Paul in the pick and roll. Chris 321 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: Paul made the easy, simple pass to the corner, and 322 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis still closed out and completely swallowed up Jake 323 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: Crowder in the corner, took away the shot and blew 324 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: up the possession. That kind of thing just doesn't happen 325 00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: in the NBA. There's just there's only a handful of 326 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: guy is on the on planet Earth that are capable 327 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: of that type of covering ground on the defensive end. 328 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: And it was an interesting thing because, you know, we 329 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: harp on a lot with the pros and cons of 330 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis playing at the five right, and most of 331 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: them have to do with the offensive end. Right on 332 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,199 Speaker 1: the offensive end of the floor. With a D at 333 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: the five, there's just more space to operate. Also, last year, 334 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,480 Speaker 1: in particular, we didn't have mobile centers. Marcus All was 335 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: slow to Andre Drummond was capable, but was really inconsistent 336 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: with his effort. Montrez Harold at moments was flat out 337 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,159 Speaker 1: bad as a pick and roll type of defender. He 338 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 1: was better defending in space than he was defending in 339 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: screen and roll, and so it made so much more 340 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:45,680 Speaker 1: sense to play as much a D at the five 341 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,159 Speaker 1: as you could because of those limitations. Now they didn't 342 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 1: and that was something that infuriated me all year. But 343 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,399 Speaker 1: one of the reasons why this year I love the 344 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: idea of shifting back to a ratio of meaning the 345 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,239 Speaker 1: ratio from season where a D spends about half his 346 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,199 Speaker 1: minutes at the four and half of his minutes at 347 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: the five is these types of vertical threats, these DeAndre 348 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 1: Jordan's and Dwight Howard types actually fit really well alongside 349 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:17,160 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis on the defensive end of the floor because 350 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,400 Speaker 1: they are so mobile and because they have that vertical presence, 351 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: and it allows Anthony Davis to be a help defender 352 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: where he can be absolutely disruptive, kind of kind of 353 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,119 Speaker 1: in a freakish way that that you could tell really 354 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: through Phoenix out of rhythm with their offense, a team 355 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 1: that had been absolutely humming so far in the preseason. 356 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:42,399 Speaker 1: And that's the kind of wrinkle that I like with 357 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis at the four. Again, everything should be prioritized 358 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: around a D at the five because it's the only 359 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: thing that's gonna make Russ usable. Okay, But as a curveball, 360 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 1: I like a D at the four, particularly next to Dwight, 361 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: but also next to DeAndre Jordan's because they can play 362 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: basic drop coverage and if the guards do their job 363 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: over the top and Anthony Davis isn't help, they're gonna 364 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,399 Speaker 1: overwhelm a lot of teams just with their length and size, 365 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: especially when you throw Lebron into the picture there. So 366 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: I I do. I do like it as a curveball, 367 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: just in general in terms of strategy, when we're talking 368 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:17,959 Speaker 1: about you know, when to go with a D at 369 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 1: the five, when to play Russ, and when to play 370 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: DeAndre Jordan's, You've got to really think about the aggregate 371 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: athleticism and the aggregate spacing. This is something that I 372 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 1: talked about literally all the time on this pod. There 373 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 1: is a fine line to where you dip so far 374 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: down with your shooting that the spacing falls apart with 375 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: your offense, Whereas if you're above that line, then your 376 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,720 Speaker 1: stars have enough room to operate. And the same thing 377 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 1: goes with defense and athleticism. You know, you can hide 378 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: Ellington with a really really gifted defensive group. Ellington was 379 00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:54,679 Speaker 1: on the floor with that Laker group that defended at 380 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 1: such a high level in the second quarter and went 381 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: on a thirteen run. But if you put Ellington around 382 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,119 Speaker 1: other limited defenders, then you dip below that line of 383 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:08,159 Speaker 1: aggregate defensive talent aggregate athleticism, and suddenly it kind of 384 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: seems like he's getting exposed. You guys, see what I'm saying. 385 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: That is the kind of thing that that kind of 386 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,159 Speaker 1: balance is something we're gonna have to watch all season. 387 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 1: A couple really simple solutions as far as as far 388 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: as spacing goes. I really like two big lineups when 389 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 1: Russ isn't on the floor, because then at the end 390 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:27,360 Speaker 1: of the day, you could theoretically put a ball handler 391 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 1: with the center and a D will space the floor. 392 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 1: And just because if those other three, if a D 393 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:36,480 Speaker 1: does have the ball or is involved in the action, 394 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: if your other three players are all really good shooters, 395 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 1: then the aggregate spacing is good enough for Anthony Davis 396 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 1: to be able to go to work. So with Russell 397 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,199 Speaker 1: Westbrook on the floor, you kind of can't play a 398 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: center because of the way that that aggregate spacing dips 399 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: too far low and and the same thing goes with 400 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: the defensive end of the floor. DeAndre Jordan's. I don't 401 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: think he can place enter unless Anthony Davis is out 402 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 1: there with him because the totality of that defense, it 403 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,399 Speaker 1: just makes DeAndre Jordan covers so much more ground. It 404 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,199 Speaker 1: makes DeAndre Jordan's job tougher, and at this phase of 405 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:13,880 Speaker 1: his career, he's just not good enough to be able 406 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: to do that. And so if you pair DeAndre Jordan 407 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 1: with Anthony Davis when you need to play DeAndre Jordan again, 408 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:23,160 Speaker 1: my preference would be he only plays when Dwight has 409 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: to sit or when Anthony Davis has to sit. But 410 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: if you're going to play him in the rotation, put 411 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:29,359 Speaker 1: him next to Anthony Davis, so he's set up to 412 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: succeed because in that simplified role, his athleticism will be 413 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: a problem. But those are the kinds of delicate balances 414 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: that they're gonna have to kind of tow that line 415 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 1: throughout this season. When can you play Russ to where 416 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,440 Speaker 1: the spacing isn't neutered? When can you play DeAndre Jordan's 417 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 1: so that his defensive responsibilities don't become too complicated? And 418 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,639 Speaker 1: then he starts to struggle, But in general, I just 419 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 1: wanted to give a little shout out to Anthony Davis's 420 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: defense because he was extremely vocal, flying all over the floor, 421 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 1: disrupting everything. His ball pressure was incredible. Um I tweeted 422 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: about this in one of those clips. But one of 423 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,720 Speaker 1: the things that allows a rotating, chaotic defense to succeed 424 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 1: is ball pressure. When you apply ball pressure, even if 425 00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:15,879 Speaker 1: there is a wide open man, if you make the 426 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: offensive player make a pass fake before he can throw 427 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: the pass, or if he has to throw some crazy 428 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,879 Speaker 1: looping like hook pass to get over the top of 429 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:28,080 Speaker 1: your length, it allows your team enough time to recover 430 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 1: and get back into the play and then reset your defense, 431 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 1: and that that sort of thing. And if that type 432 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:37,640 Speaker 1: of rotation depends on all of those factors, you need 433 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:40,679 Speaker 1: ball pressure, and you need guys sprinting on the backside. 434 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: If the guys don't spread on the back side, it 435 00:22:42,359 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: won't work. If the guy doesn't apply ball pressure on 436 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 1: the ball, it won't work. It's kind of all of 437 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: that has to come together, and it did in that 438 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: second quarter. If you watched in that second quarter run, 439 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: they the Lakers did a fantastic job of pushing the 440 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: ball out. There were so many suns possessions where there'd 441 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:58,399 Speaker 1: be four or five seconds on the shot clock and 442 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: they're dribbling out at thirty ft or stuck with a 443 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:05,320 Speaker 1: stuck without their dribble, pivoting all over the place looking 444 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,359 Speaker 1: for an outlet pass because of ball pressure and because 445 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 1: of that chaotic rotation. And it all started with Anthony Davis. 446 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,880 Speaker 1: I wanted to give him that shout out. So we're 447 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 1: gonna move on to Camp bays Moore. Camp bigs Moore, 448 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: according to Frank Vogel, has been the guard that has 449 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 1: separated himself defensively from the rest of the group in 450 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: training camp. So far, that's just taking it from his words, 451 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 1: not mine. But when you watch the film, it all 452 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: backs that up. And one of the biggest problems for 453 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: the Lakers defense in the early going in the preseason 454 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,679 Speaker 1: has been guards dying on screens. The Lakers have no 455 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: intention of switching screens with guys like Molik Mount, Kendrick Non, 456 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: Ragion Rondo, so on and so forth. That was never 457 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: the idea. That was never the plan. However, dozens and 458 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: dozens of times here in the first four games we've 459 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 1: seen them have to do that. And the reason why 460 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,800 Speaker 1: is those guys are dying on the screens. They're getting caught, 461 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 1: and then the big essentially has to switch out to 462 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: guard the guard, and then Eton or whoever the big 463 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: man is is diving down the lane. Now we have 464 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: rebounding mismatches, Now we have posted up mismatches like we 465 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: saw against Brooklyn. There's a lot of trouble that gets 466 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,680 Speaker 1: caused when those screens end up getting switched. Those all 467 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: of those guards that I mentioned have to get better 468 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: at that. Baysmore has done a fantastic job here in 469 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 1: the preseason of fighting over the top of every screen 470 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:33,120 Speaker 1: and getting back into the play. You know, we complained 471 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:35,399 Speaker 1: about drop coverage drop coverage a lot, rog and I 472 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,399 Speaker 1: did in the postseason, especially when it came to team's 473 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: guarding Phoenix and well, I should say Milwaukee. We complained 474 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: a lot about Milwaukee because at the beginning of the 475 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 1: Hawks series and at the beginning of the Phoenix series, 476 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: they stayed in this drop coverage and got absolutely torched 477 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: by Trey Young and by and by Chris Paul and 478 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: pick and roll when there was an obvious and simple 479 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,040 Speaker 1: answer to that they needed to to to play a 480 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: different pick and roll cut. But the reason why is 481 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,399 Speaker 1: because when that screen comes and it hits the on 482 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: ball defender, if the on ball defender gets caught and 483 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: the big is sitting under the basket all day long, 484 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:14,840 Speaker 1: you're going to have wide open fifteen footers and floaters 485 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: all day long. For Chris Paul, it's kind of like 486 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: a step back three. For Trey Young, it's a it's 487 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: a floater or trying to draw foul on the guy 488 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,000 Speaker 1: chasing behind, that kind of thing, right, But when you 489 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 1: chase over the top successfully, which Drew Holiday started to 490 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:31,080 Speaker 1: do as that series progressed in both cases and you're 491 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: able to bother the ball handler from behind, all of 492 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: a sudden, that floater and that jump shot are no 493 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,639 Speaker 1: longer an option, and so now you're only option is 494 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: to drive into the center who's waiting for you at 495 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: the rim. That's why drop coverage works. Drop coverage works 496 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,919 Speaker 1: when you can apply back pressure on the jump shooter 497 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: and then you have a giant human waiting under the 498 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:57,359 Speaker 1: basket who's gonna make anything you attempt. They're difficult and 499 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,480 Speaker 1: takes away the law pass in that in that respect, 500 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: so bays Moore has been the only defender perimeter defenders 501 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:08,199 Speaker 1: so far this preseason. That has allowed the Lakers to 502 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,480 Speaker 1: stay in their actual traditional drop coverage that plays right 503 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,960 Speaker 1: into Dwight howard strengths, that plays right into DeAndre Jordan's strengths. 504 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: So there's a couple of things to take away from that. One, 505 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 1: it goes to show you where the area of improvement 506 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,040 Speaker 1: is for the other guards. But two, it goes to 507 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: show you that Baysmore is the clear early shoe in 508 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: for the closing five. We're gonna talk a lot this 509 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: year about what the best line of the Lakers can 510 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 1: throw out to win games is, and it's gonna start 511 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: around Rustle Lebron in a D. But then there's gonna 512 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:42,399 Speaker 1: be two additional spots. I believe it's gonna be bays 513 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: Moore and and Aresa. Areasa is just your rock solid 514 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: defensive forward who has the ability to knock down and 515 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 1: open shot, which is all you can ask for. It's 516 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:54,359 Speaker 1: the same reason why teams pay p J. Tucker. It's 517 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 1: the same reason teams play pay Roger Robert Covington' that's 518 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,919 Speaker 1: what you're asking from from Trevor Aresa. He's a reliable 519 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,439 Speaker 1: piece in that regard. But bays More because of his 520 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:06,760 Speaker 1: ability to fight over the top of these screens and 521 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,439 Speaker 1: to and to provide good point of attack defense. His 522 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: effort level has been outstanding through through the beginning of 523 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,199 Speaker 1: the preseason. That makes him an easy shoe in for 524 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 1: that fifth spot here early on. He has shot the 525 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: ball thirty eight percent from three so far in preseason. 526 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: He shot better from three last year with Golden State, UM, 527 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,040 Speaker 1: so I'm not worried about him in that regard. There 528 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: is a possibility that over the course of the season 529 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: you might see somebody like Malik Monk progress enough on 530 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:39,680 Speaker 1: the defensive end to be a better option. You might 531 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,520 Speaker 1: see Wayne Ellington progress enough on the defensive end that 532 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:45,159 Speaker 1: he could be a better option given what they bring offensively. 533 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,720 Speaker 1: But here in the early going, I think there's a 534 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 1: pretty comfortable gap in what you can expect and of 535 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 1: what you can expect from that specific position as a 536 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 1: fifth starter, and that's the that's the not a fifth starter, 537 00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,080 Speaker 1: but as a fifth closing lineup guy. But that's the 538 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: key difference here. When you're talking about that lineup, you 539 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:06,480 Speaker 1: don't need anything out of that fourth and fifth closer 540 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: other than a guy who can lock up defensively and 541 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:14,360 Speaker 1: knock down an open shot and do basic stuff attacking closeouts. 542 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:16,440 Speaker 1: That's all you need. You don't need him to run 543 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: pick and roll Lebron and Ruscott. That covered. You don't 544 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: need him to post up mismatches Anthony Davis and Lebron 545 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,520 Speaker 1: and Ruscot. That covered. There's no need for anything out 546 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:32,000 Speaker 1: of that position other than defense and some enough shooting 547 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 1: to be able to keep the defense honest. That's really 548 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:36,639 Speaker 1: all you need, and so far bays Moore is the 549 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: clear leader in that regard. So let's talk about Austin Reeves. 550 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: This has uh been an interesting kind of surprise so 551 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: far here in the preseason for starters. He he's a 552 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 1: lot bigger than the other options that the Lakers have 553 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: at guard, not counting bays Moore. All of these guys 554 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: like Ellington is six ft four, but he's not very mobile. 555 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: Molikue Monk is six ft three, but he's very thin, 556 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 1: you know. Kendrick Nunn is stocky and strong, but he's 557 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: only six ft two and he's not overly laterally quick. 558 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,960 Speaker 1: So there's kind of a little bit of an opportunity 559 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,880 Speaker 1: for when Frank gets frustrated with the lack of physical 560 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: tools of his guards. There's a little bit of an 561 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: opportunity to be an option, an option for Frank to 562 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: lean on, especially with the Areasa injury and the th 563 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: Ht injury, and Austin Reeves seems to be kind of 564 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: like forcing his way into that spot, being that other 565 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:35,560 Speaker 1: option for Frank to have a bigger, more athletic defender 566 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 1: when the other guys are getting bullied and there's a 567 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: lot to take away from him. That's good for starters. 568 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:43,000 Speaker 1: He's been shooting the ball really well. He's been shooting 569 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:46,959 Speaker 1: from three in the preseason, but he just his effort 570 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:49,000 Speaker 1: and focus on the defensive end has been excellent so far. 571 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:51,720 Speaker 1: He's been really good locking and trailing around guys and 572 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 1: avoiding getting screened. He's done his help responsibilities well in 573 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:56,959 Speaker 1: pick and roll. He's done a good job when he 574 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: does get caught on the screen of getting back to 575 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:00,920 Speaker 1: the big and boxing out of the paint, which is 576 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 1: something a smaller guy like a Malik Monk is going 577 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 1: to struggle with. Again, he's young, He's probably not gonna 578 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 1: get a ton of playing time. He's not likely to 579 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 1: have anywhere near the explosive ability that you're gonna get 580 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 1: from a Malik Monk or Kendrick Nunn. However, he's just 581 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 1: another option. It's a group like nobody was expecting Austin 582 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 1: Reeves to be somebody that the Lakers would have playing 583 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: meaningful minutes this year. I don't think any of us 584 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 1: expected that. We all expected he'd be on a two 585 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: way contract. Now he's on a real contract, and so 586 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:33,680 Speaker 1: far in the preseason he's looked good enough to me 587 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 1: that if you put him out there with good players 588 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: like Lebron and a D and Russ, I think he's usable. 589 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 1: And that's just another depth piece for the Lakers, a 590 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,880 Speaker 1: team that kind of needs it. And after the th 591 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: HT injury and the a Reason injury, so it's something 592 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:53,720 Speaker 1: to be excited about for sure. So uh kind of 593 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:57,360 Speaker 1: too uh piggyback off the injury thing that I was 594 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:58,920 Speaker 1: talking about. There's been a lot of concern about the 595 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,480 Speaker 1: th HT injury, and particular I have said that a 596 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 1: Reason probably won't come back until January because it's two 597 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 1: month injury, and my guess is they'll be extra caution 598 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:09,680 Speaker 1: cautious with him, So give it another month. U Molik 599 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: Monk has a groin issue that's going to take him 600 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 1: out a week. I'd assume he'll be ready for the 601 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: season opener, which is a week from tomorrow. But be 602 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,640 Speaker 1: careful with him. There's just no point rushing rushing him back, 603 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:23,520 Speaker 1: especially with a groin injury. Um and we all know 604 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: how that can affect the mobility of a player. But 605 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,239 Speaker 1: th HT in particular was one of the reasons you 606 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:33,040 Speaker 1: guys remember Raj earlier this week or last week. Raj 607 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: was big on the fact that th Ht would be 608 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: able to slot into the reason minutes because of his 609 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:42,840 Speaker 1: big um body, strong body and his ability to guard wings. 610 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 1: And so him out of the picture kind of throws 611 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: a wrinkle into things. But this is where all that 612 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:51,040 Speaker 1: depth is advantageous. This is where Austin reeves. Being someone 613 00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: who's capable of playing small forward kind of adds too, 614 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,160 Speaker 1: adds to the versatility that group and gives them the 615 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: ability to weather the storm through these injuries. You guys know, 616 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 1: I've been harpening on all summer. I wish they'd signed 617 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:06,960 Speaker 1: Wesley Matthews. I genuinely think he's the perfect fifteen man 618 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: on this roster because of his professionalism and because his 619 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 1: ability to guard guys who are bigger and because of 620 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:15,600 Speaker 1: the fact that he's just a smart basketball player, is 621 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: not gonna make too many mistakes, even if he doesn't 622 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,680 Speaker 1: particularly shoot the ball that well. I hope they signed 623 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: west but even if they don't, having Austin Reeves kind 624 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: of fill into that role is a big deal if 625 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:29,480 Speaker 1: you look at it. Even with the monk in th 626 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:33,120 Speaker 1: HD injuries, You've still got Russell Westbrook, You've still got 627 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,760 Speaker 1: um um Kendrick Nunn, You've still got Austin Reeves, you 628 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,479 Speaker 1: still got Wayne Ellington, and you even have Rondo if 629 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: you absolutely need him in that regard, and you've got 630 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,720 Speaker 1: baysmore So, I've got six cards that can still play 631 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 1: NBA basketball with these guys even with the injuries to 632 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: uh two monk in t HD. So that's something to 633 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 1: just kind of as a glass half full type of 634 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: attitude from those injuries. Um, alright, a couple more things. 635 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,960 Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about DeAndre Jordan's and then what I 636 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: want you guys to look for in the last two 637 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,480 Speaker 1: games that we have with that Lebron plans I'm playing in. 638 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 1: So DeAndre Jordan again, when he's with Anthony Davis and 639 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 1: his job is simplified, He's kind of a pain in 640 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 1: the ask for other teams because of his size and athleticism, 641 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: and because his simple that he's not asked to do much. 642 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:22,640 Speaker 1: If you let him float around the paint and you 643 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: let him just be a presence around the rim, he's 644 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 1: gonna be more effective than when he has to cover 645 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,640 Speaker 1: a ton of ground and when he doesn't have the 646 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,200 Speaker 1: shrunken floor brought by Anthony Davison in his length. You know, 647 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:39,040 Speaker 1: in general, yesterday I thought he looked pretty good, but 648 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 1: he was played primarily in lineups that were advantageous to 649 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 1: his strengths. You know, as as I've said multiple times 650 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:50,960 Speaker 1: in the podcast in the last few weeks, ideally I 651 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:54,400 Speaker 1: prefer him not to play at all. And then what's 652 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 1: nice is you have a defensive scheme, and the defensive 653 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: scheme is built around what White Howard and Anthony Davis 654 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:04,720 Speaker 1: can do. So if you need to play a third 655 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 1: center because a d has taken a night off, or 656 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:10,440 Speaker 1: because Dwight Howard's hurt, or because Dwight Howard's just resting, 657 00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:14,279 Speaker 1: you can play the same scheme with DeAndre Jordan. That 658 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:17,239 Speaker 1: was the whole point of that signing. In my in 659 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:21,640 Speaker 1: my personal opinion, However, if he ends up playing significantly 660 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 1: consistently throughout the season, I'd prefer to see him partnered 661 00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 1: up with a D because this year, when he's been 662 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,640 Speaker 1: next to a D, he's actually been pretty good, which 663 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:34,560 Speaker 1: is something I expected. Uh, even after his ugly moments 664 00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: in UM, even after his ugly moments in Brooklyn. Okay, 665 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: So Lebron has said that he's gonna play in the 666 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:43,239 Speaker 1: last two preseason games, or rather, Frank has said that 667 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:45,359 Speaker 1: Lebron is going to play in the last two preseason games. 668 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:48,040 Speaker 1: Who means that Tomorrow night against Golden State is going 669 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 1: to be the first time that we get to see Lebron, 670 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: a D and Russ altogether at the same time on 671 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,839 Speaker 1: the floor. These are These are the couple of things 672 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 1: that I want you guys to keep an eye on. 673 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 1: First of all, what does Westbrook do when Lebron has 674 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,560 Speaker 1: the ball off ball? There There are a couch, a 675 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,759 Speaker 1: bunch of theories about and I've picked the brains of 676 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,160 Speaker 1: several basketball people that I trust about what would be 677 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: your approach in this case. And I've heard a bunch 678 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,520 Speaker 1: of different things. Um, I've heard use him as a screener. 679 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 1: This is one of the most common things that I 680 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 1: do when I'm playing pick up and I happened to 681 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:21,800 Speaker 1: be on a team with the guy who's a non threat. 682 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,600 Speaker 1: If you put him off the ball, it just it 683 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:27,759 Speaker 1: doesn't help anything. So what I'll have him do is 684 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,200 Speaker 1: I'll have him come up and just repeatedly set ball screens, 685 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:32,120 Speaker 1: and I just tell him hit him, hit him, hit him, 686 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 1: hit him. I don't know if he said an I 687 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 1: legal screen. Just hit him, because at least at that 688 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:39,319 Speaker 1: point you're serving some purpose. You're deflecting one defender away 689 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:40,920 Speaker 1: from me, so I can do something with the other 690 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,279 Speaker 1: defender off ball. It's it's a it's a problem. That's 691 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 1: an interesting way to potentially use Russ. Have him come 692 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:50,640 Speaker 1: up and set the ball screen and basically play the 693 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,760 Speaker 1: Draymond role. They're gonna ignore Russ on the ball screen, 694 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:56,879 Speaker 1: so when Lebron comes off the ball screen or when 695 00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 1: Malik Monk comes off the ball screen, they're probably gonna trap. 696 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,280 Speaker 1: Then you just dump it or throw a quick pocket 697 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:05,320 Speaker 1: pass or quick release two Russ and let him barrel 698 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:07,800 Speaker 1: down the rain like Draymond Green, barrel down the lane 699 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 1: like Draymond Green used to do with the Warriors, and 700 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,360 Speaker 1: make that kick out pass. Let him play four on 701 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:16,960 Speaker 1: three in that regard, that's one interesting way to use 702 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:21,359 Speaker 1: him too. I'm actually pro Russ taking wide open catch 703 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: and shoot threes. One. You don't have to be that 704 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 1: efficient in that regard for it to be a relatively 705 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:28,960 Speaker 1: efficient possession if he shoots. Think of it like this, 706 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:34,040 Speaker 1: If he shoots from from three on wide open catch 707 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:36,640 Speaker 1: and shoot threes, which is definitely achievable for even a 708 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:40,560 Speaker 1: shooter like him, that amounts to an effective field goal 709 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:44,360 Speaker 1: percentage of what's that forty eight percent uh if I 710 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:46,879 Speaker 1: if a math is correct, pretty sure that's right. So 711 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:50,920 Speaker 1: effective fielgal percentage. That's not the end of the world. 712 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:55,200 Speaker 1: In a possession where they're ignoring Russ on the wing 713 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:58,279 Speaker 1: and maybe if you're lucky through better shot selection, he 714 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:01,880 Speaker 1: shoots a little bit better, you know, on wide up 715 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:05,640 Speaker 1: and shots. Now we're taking into overt EFFECTI field goal percentage, 716 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,520 Speaker 1: and now we're talking about a really good possession. That's 717 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:10,640 Speaker 1: one way to do it. The last thing that I'd 718 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,600 Speaker 1: like to see Russ do off the ball when he's 719 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:18,600 Speaker 1: being ignored is just attack like crazy. You know. With 720 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:21,080 Speaker 1: that original example that I gave with pick up one 721 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:22,799 Speaker 1: of the reasons why I don't like having that guy 722 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:25,720 Speaker 1: off the ball is because he's literally not a threat. 723 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:29,720 Speaker 1: Russ is not a non threat. He's just a non 724 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:33,239 Speaker 1: shooting threat. So if he gets the ball at the 725 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:36,319 Speaker 1: three point line and no one's there, and he just 726 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:39,879 Speaker 1: screams down the lane as fast as he can, that 727 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:43,000 Speaker 1: type it's kind of like Russ and transition. That type 728 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: of rim pressure will naturally collapse the defense, at which 729 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:51,319 Speaker 1: point he can make extra kickouts to extra shooters from there. 730 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:54,880 Speaker 1: It's just it's something i'd like to see them try 731 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:57,400 Speaker 1: over the course of the season. When Russ gets ignored, 732 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:00,520 Speaker 1: just catch it and go. You know, even if you 733 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 1: barrel into the lane and and knock somebody over, you 734 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 1: put the possession in the ref's hands and make him 735 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:10,600 Speaker 1: make a call potentially, you know, And just in general, 736 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:13,879 Speaker 1: it leads to that rim pressure that paint too great 737 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 1: that Frank always talks about, that leads to open shots 738 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:19,439 Speaker 1: for other people. It's just another wrink called that I'd 739 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 1: like to see them try. Um. The other thing I'm 740 00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:24,359 Speaker 1: really curious to see is the defense of the Big Three. 741 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,239 Speaker 1: You know, we've already talked about how the defense with 742 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:29,319 Speaker 1: Anthony Davis on the floor has actually been pretty good, 743 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:32,520 Speaker 1: and we've already talked about how Westbrook has had moments 744 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: where he's looked pretty good Defensively, Lebron continues to be 745 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:38,040 Speaker 1: one of the best back line defenders in the league 746 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:40,120 Speaker 1: as just a communicator and a guy who disrupts plays 747 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:44,560 Speaker 1: underneath the rim. It's also, as we're talking about aggregate athleticism, 748 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:48,320 Speaker 1: that's a great deal of athleticism. Having Russ, Lebron and 749 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,160 Speaker 1: a d on the floor at the same time should 750 00:38:51,239 --> 00:38:54,520 Speaker 1: physically be something that no team in the league can match. 751 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:57,000 Speaker 1: And so I'm really curious to see what that looks like, 752 00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:00,279 Speaker 1: just especially if they if they managed to out a 753 00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:03,200 Speaker 1: certain amount of physicality and that in those three guys 754 00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:06,120 Speaker 1: are just beating guys up all over the floor. I'm 755 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:08,080 Speaker 1: really curious to see what that looks like. It's something, 756 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:11,400 Speaker 1: um that'll be fun to watch tomorrow night. And then 757 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:14,840 Speaker 1: last but not least as Westbrook shot selection. So a 758 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:17,239 Speaker 1: certain amount of what Russ was doing in the first 759 00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:20,320 Speaker 1: two games that he played had to do with the 760 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,560 Speaker 1: lack of the third star right Like Russ was making 761 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:27,160 Speaker 1: all the decisions against Phoenix last night because Lebron wasn't playing. 762 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:31,080 Speaker 1: You know, Russ was struggling a lot in the first 763 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:33,640 Speaker 1: game that he played, you know, maybe because Anthony Davis 764 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:36,359 Speaker 1: wasn't there. I would like to see what his shot 765 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:39,040 Speaker 1: selection looks like when he's playing with Lebron and a 766 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:41,880 Speaker 1: D because it should be more reserved, and it'll be 767 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:44,080 Speaker 1: interesting to see if he comes out with the same 768 00:39:44,120 --> 00:39:47,480 Speaker 1: recklessness that I talked about earlier in the pod. That's 769 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:50,279 Speaker 1: a concern because you're playing with Lebron and a D 770 00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:55,279 Speaker 1: your your game should be adjusted to what you're playing with. 771 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:57,640 Speaker 1: You know, you guys see on my Twitter feed, I'm 772 00:39:57,640 --> 00:40:00,360 Speaker 1: always showing me making these crazy shots. Right when I 773 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:03,160 Speaker 1: go play pick up, I don't take those crazy shots 774 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:05,920 Speaker 1: as anywhere near as often when I'm playing with a 775 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:08,520 Speaker 1: good group of guys my men's league that I play 776 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:10,880 Speaker 1: with on Sundays, I might take one or two of 777 00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:13,360 Speaker 1: those in an entire game. Because my men's league that 778 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:15,120 Speaker 1: I play with on Sundays has six dudes who used 779 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:17,239 Speaker 1: to play in college on my team, so we play 780 00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:20,319 Speaker 1: real basketball. We look for quality shots. You know, I 781 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:23,120 Speaker 1: adjust my shot selection for the group of guys that 782 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:26,439 Speaker 1: I play with when I go play pick up. Later 783 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:29,279 Speaker 1: this afternoon or tomorrow, if I go there and I'm 784 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,279 Speaker 1: playing with a bunch of guys who can't shoot or 785 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:36,000 Speaker 1: can't do anything on tougher shots, it's it's an adjustment, 786 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,480 Speaker 1: but just in general, it'll be curious to see what 787 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,719 Speaker 1: Russ's shots selection looks like with that group of guys 788 00:40:43,719 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 1: tomorrow night, whether or not he keeps it in reserve 789 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:49,839 Speaker 1: or whether he continues his craziness. All right, that's all 790 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,239 Speaker 1: we have for today, guys. On Wednesday morning will be 791 00:40:53,320 --> 00:40:57,680 Speaker 1: recording a show that covers the Tuesday night game against 792 00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:01,359 Speaker 1: Golden State, and then on Thursday night a postgame show, 793 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:03,440 Speaker 1: first postgame show of the season for Rog and I 794 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,319 Speaker 1: after their final preseason game. I'm looking forward to that. 795 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:10,040 Speaker 1: As always, I appreciate you guys support. This will be 796 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:12,160 Speaker 1: on the podcast feed shortly and we'll see you guys 797 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:12,879 Speaker 1: in a couple of days.