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Speaker 1: M all right. Welcome to the State of the Lakers,

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Speaker 1: presented by DASH Radio. Thank you guys so much for

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Speaker 1: coming to hang out on a Monday. I hope you

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Speaker 1: all had a great weekend. I think we just saw

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Speaker 1: the best basketball I've seen the Lakers play in a very, very,

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Speaker 1: very long time, rose especially when you counted against the

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Speaker 1: talent that they had available. I guess we could look

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Speaker 1: back to some games, maybe against the Phoenix Suns early

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Speaker 1: in that playoff series, where they looked this good. But

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Speaker 1: this is the best I've seen them look relative to

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Speaker 1: their talent in a very probably since Game six of

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Speaker 1: the NBA Finals. This was just an incredible, almost wired,

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Speaker 1: a wired performance. I'm pretty stoked about it. We were

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Speaker 1: texting during the game. There's so so much to talk about,

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Speaker 1: and I look forward to getting to the bottom of

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Speaker 1: all of it with you. But first of all, Buddy,

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Speaker 1: how are you doing and how is your weekend? It

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Speaker 1: was good. I am hyped for this one. Man. This

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Speaker 1: is to me the win of the year. I guess

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Speaker 1: the other one could be our win against Cleveland earlier

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Speaker 1: before the Calvs became who they were. But now this

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Speaker 1: is the win of the year. Man, Utah is a

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Speaker 1: good team. They came in tonight, I think, wanting to

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Speaker 1: continue there on a little bit of a losing streak.

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Speaker 1: They won their last one in Denver, second game back

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Speaker 1: to back for them. But now this is a big win, man,

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Speaker 1: you go. They went up Utah, came back, roaring back,

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Speaker 1: went up ten, and then to come back in that

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Speaker 1: fashion that fourth quarter, I think just highlighted a lot

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Speaker 1: of stuff that we can to build on here. But man,

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Speaker 1: it's a really great win. I'm I'm excited to get

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Speaker 1: into this one. Yeah, So to start, I want to

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Speaker 1: talk about, you know, the strategies we use against the

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Speaker 1: Jazz and the reason the reason why I think they're

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Speaker 1: super you know, uh, you know relative, you know, they're

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Speaker 1: super important to projecting forward with this team because the

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Speaker 1: Jazz do. The Jazz are extremely well coached, and they've

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Speaker 1: run very difficult scheme to guard, and they have pieces

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Speaker 1: that are, you know, similar to some of the things

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Speaker 1: we're gonna see from other teams in the Western Conference

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Speaker 1: that we might see in the playoffs. And you know,

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Speaker 1: you and I talked a lot after the last game

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Speaker 1: against the Nuggets about how the dumbest thing about what

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Speaker 1: the Lakers were doing with their small ball groups was

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Speaker 1: playing too many small guys, and people think of small

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Speaker 1: people think of small ball having to do with the

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Speaker 1: center position, and it does, you know, on its surface,

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Speaker 1: but the aggregate size of those lineups that succeed in

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Speaker 1: the league are usually big. Like that Clippers lineup that

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Speaker 1: was so good. It's like they're getting Marcus Morris and

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Speaker 1: Nicholas patum And and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: there's no center, but everybody's everyone's huge outside of that, right,

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Speaker 1: And so that was part of it. And then also

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Speaker 1: with the Lakers small ball lineups, they were trying to

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Speaker 1: run traditional pick and roll coverages with Lebron underneath the basket,

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Speaker 1: and one of the issues with that is that in

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Speaker 1: those situations, you're asking all those guards to to run

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Speaker 1: through so much contact and they're small players and they're

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Speaker 1: struggling with it. So that you and I talked about

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Speaker 1: how this team needs to switch more because when you switch,

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Speaker 1: it allows you to make up for your size deficiencies

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Speaker 1: by stagnating the opponent. This is something that I talked

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Speaker 1: about all the time on the show with you, and

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Speaker 1: there's such a there's a there's a key reason why

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Speaker 1: I believe in the strategy because the Lakers had, even

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Speaker 1: with their bigger lineups that they played today, in terms

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Speaker 1: of the size of the wings that they played, you know,

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Speaker 1: a lot more Austin Reeves, a lot more Stanley Johnson.

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Speaker 1: Even with that, the Jazz were bigger, but their size

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Speaker 1: wasn't able to punish us to the extent that it

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Speaker 1: made up for what we were able to do to

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Speaker 1: them with our speed and our versatility on the perimeter.

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Speaker 1: And that's the key, because when you switch everything, you

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Speaker 1: turn a ball movement offense like the Utah Jazz into

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Speaker 1: an isolation offense. And they had seventeen points in the

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Speaker 1: fourth quarter, five of which were total garbage time. So

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Speaker 1: you held them to twelve points in a pivotal basketball movement,

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Speaker 1: one of the most dominant offenses in the league, because

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Speaker 1: you switched everything shut off their actions forced them to

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Speaker 1: try to create against a set isolation defender, and as

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Speaker 1: a result, their offense fell to pieces that that philosophy

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Speaker 1: is modern basketball. And then on the other end, the

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Speaker 1: Lakers were running a five out concept, which removed Ruddy

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Speaker 1: Gobert from the equation, forced him to guard in space

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Speaker 1: where he struggled with with Stanley Johnson and his low

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Speaker 1: center of gravity and his ability to kind of, you know,

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Speaker 1: navigate beneath Rudy Gobert with his speed and with his strength,

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Speaker 1: and so we're gonna die further into it. But I

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Speaker 1: think that this style, you know, it's very indicative of

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Speaker 1: what this team needs to be, what we need to

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Speaker 1: be at our best. Is this a big, small poll

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Speaker 1: line up that plays our bigger wings and then adapts

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Speaker 1: that adopts and uses and leans into the modern defensive

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Speaker 1: concepts that work in the NBA today. I don't think

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Speaker 1: obviously the Jazz didn't play as well as they could have,

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Speaker 1: but I don't think it was a complete coincidence that

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Speaker 1: they played as bad as they did because we directly

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Speaker 1: attacked their weaknesses ROJ we had purpose right with what

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Speaker 1: we were doing. Like we watched that Denver game, there

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Speaker 1: was a lot of stuff that just didn't make any sense.

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Speaker 1: We weren't going anything with the personnel. I thought tonight,

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Speaker 1: we just made Gobert garden space and Stanley Johnson obviously

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Speaker 1: a big part of that. He was aggressive. I love that,

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Speaker 1: you know, Stanley, he doesn't pass up jump shots, and

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Speaker 1: I think that has a domino effect to to his

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Speaker 1: game where he's also aggressive with the ball, and Lebron

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Speaker 1: saw that he started screening for him right he was

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Speaker 1: able to get to the basket. We started Dwight Howard

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Speaker 1: in this game, and Dwight wasn't great through the throughout,

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Speaker 1: but I thought him just starting kind of set a tone.

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Speaker 1: I thought he played well. We had a nice coverage.

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Speaker 1: He wasn't He didn't nice stop switching as well. We

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Speaker 1: switched pretty much one through five. The only guy we

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Speaker 1: didn't really switch with tonight was Malik Monk. But I

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Speaker 1: thought just our coverage was great. We were flying around

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Speaker 1: you talk, couldn't get any open shot. I thought Dwight

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Speaker 1: took the rim away. We played him. We we had

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Speaker 1: a little bit of our scheme where we played Dwight

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Speaker 1: against their small ball. You saw that as well, right,

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Speaker 1: and like he kind of took and he took the

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Speaker 1: basket away. I thought it was great to see um.

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Speaker 1: And then we just went small. We have Stanley Johnson

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Speaker 1: playing the five, Lebron playing the five. We found minutes

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Speaker 1: without Lebron and Russ luck. I guess we'll get into later,

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Speaker 1: but it was just a great energy win. Man and

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Speaker 1: Utah is a really good team. They're very similar to

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Speaker 1: Phoenix to me, where they have counters to everything. Their

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Speaker 1: whole offense is predicated on a Gobert screen and roll

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Speaker 1: um and I thought Mike Conley kind of got going

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Speaker 1: with that. He was they were kind of hunting the

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Speaker 1: league monk in that way. But we just had a

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Speaker 1: great overall scheme. Man and Lebron was incredible again. We

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Speaker 1: had the apology right from Lebron James like I think

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Speaker 1: a couple of hours earlier and he comes out tonight

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Speaker 1: with this show. It was just an awesome team win

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Speaker 1: and I think this is stuff we can build on. Man.

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Speaker 1: Austin Reaves I think needs to play more. Stanley Johnson

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Speaker 1: needs to play more. I think the young guys are

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Speaker 1: definitely showing out that needs to be on the floor.

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Speaker 1: Austin Reeves THHD Stanley Johnson, like those guys need to

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Speaker 1: play um if you're not gonna get effort from other places.

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Speaker 1: And you know, every rally started again. He had that

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Speaker 1: big three. I thought he struggled throughout this night, but

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Speaker 1: just seeing those guys kind of turned the game around.

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Speaker 1: The Russell Westbrook big dunk. I know he kind of

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Speaker 1: struggled throughout, but I thought that was a big momentum changer. Uh.

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Speaker 1: And you know i'veen tweeting Jason, there's a good team

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Speaker 1: in here, and this is kind of what I mean,

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Speaker 1: you know what I mean Like this, We're not as

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Speaker 1: bad as we've shown and and it's very clear when

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Speaker 1: we haven't and when we don't. But we need to

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Speaker 1: play this hard like every night. I'm not expecting us

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Speaker 1: to win every night. I don't even expect us to

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Speaker 1: win tonight against Utah even we were up six. I

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Speaker 1: was still kind of questioning it at halftime. But this

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Speaker 1: is how we have to play, man. And you see

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Speaker 1: the effort and you see guys flying around Austin Reason

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Speaker 1: with the floater to a tip layup like those kind

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Speaker 1: of stuff is you know those kind of that kind

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Speaker 1: of energy is contagious. Stanley Johnson, that energy is contagious. Uh.

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Speaker 1: You know his play on Rudy Gobert. And we'll get

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Speaker 1: more into that, but just a good win, man. It's

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Speaker 1: it's exciting, uh, to finally have like a fun space

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Speaker 1: I guess to talk about to talk about this. We

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Speaker 1: get to be positive for once, and so I do

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Speaker 1: want to start with Lebron, because he he was the

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Speaker 1: guy who you know, may or may not bendy catalyst

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Speaker 1: with his with his tweet, or at least an attitude change.

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Speaker 1: And I want to look at the box score for

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Speaker 1: a second, because so Lebron has seven and seven, which

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Speaker 1: is not a I popping stat line by any stretch

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Speaker 1: of the imagination. It's not a bad one, but it's

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Speaker 1: not ipopping really quickly, really quickly. Hints again tonight, that's

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Speaker 1: fourteen straight games with at least twenty five plus. That's uh,

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Speaker 1: the current record leader in the league. I heard them

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Speaker 1: bring that up in spectrum as wow, that's crazy, um.

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Speaker 1: But what's interesting about it is he was below from

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Speaker 1: the field, and he was below from three, and he

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Speaker 1: couldn't make a free throw. But I thought it was

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Speaker 1: one of his best games of the season. And this

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Speaker 1: is the huge issue that I have with you know,

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Speaker 1: box score watching. It's something that I get into with

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Speaker 1: people all the time when we're talking about basketball. It's like, heck,

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Speaker 1: it's something I've been dealing with with Lebron fans so

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Speaker 1: much over the course of the last week because I've

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Speaker 1: been critical of the way he's played defense, and everyone

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Speaker 1: wants to be like, oh, he's averaging thirty four over

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Speaker 1: his last twelve games and saying it's like, hey, man, like,

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Speaker 1: there's so much more that happens in a basketball game

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Speaker 1: than it grabbed the rebound of driving kick three, or

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Speaker 1: you scoring the basket, scoring the basketball. There's so much

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Speaker 1: more that goes into winning a basketball game. Lebron was

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Speaker 1: freaking everywhere tonight, on both ends of the floor, flying around,

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Speaker 1: making plays, and then in that fourth quarter lineup with

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Speaker 1: Austin Reeves, Malik Monks, Stanley Johnson and Thht he basically

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Speaker 1: didn't have the ball in his hands and completely controlled

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Speaker 1: the game because he understood that the Jazz were struggling

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Speaker 1: with how to navigate a coverage with him as the screener,

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Speaker 1: and as a result, Stanley Johnson kept getting ahead of

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Speaker 1: Steam because they wanted to go underneath that screen and

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Speaker 1: he was the Lebron was setting it almost down at

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Speaker 1: the semi circle, at the bottom of the semi circle.

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Speaker 1: But again, what you saw tonight was a great example

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Speaker 1: of like Lebron playing at the level of the best

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Speaker 1: players in the world while having seven and seven shooting

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Speaker 1: below from the field, shooting below from three and can't

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Speaker 1: make a ree throw. That's the That's the idea that

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to hammer home here. Like when I'm when

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Speaker 1: I'm talking about what what shows me that Lebron is

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Speaker 1: engaged and that he cares. This is what I'm talking about.

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Speaker 1: This is what a good Lebron James game looks like,

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Speaker 1: because against the best defenses in the league, he's probably

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Speaker 1: not often going to have incredible shooting nights. You know,

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Speaker 1: they're grind out games like we saw against Phoenix, They're

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Speaker 1: dog fights, they're complete boxing matches, and and Lebron is

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Speaker 1: such a weapon and that type of environment when he

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Speaker 1: embraces that, And so I wanted to give him some

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Speaker 1: some credit because he put his money where his mouth was.

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Speaker 1: He he said he was sorry for the way things

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Speaker 1: were going and that he promised things would get better.

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Speaker 1: And then he came out and he played, in my opinion,

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Speaker 1: his best game of the season, regardless of what the

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Speaker 1: box score might say. So I wanted to give him

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Speaker 1: a shout out. No, he was great, and I think,

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Speaker 1: you know, I love that. Frank kind of noticed that

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Speaker 1: Lebron's energy was kind and we talked about this in

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Speaker 1: the space as well, Right lebron Is starting that center.

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Speaker 1: It was just not something probably does gonna be viable

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Speaker 1: for a long time, for a long stretch, and he

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Speaker 1: did it for a nice stretch. The Lakers won like

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Speaker 1: four in a row, and he was great defensively in

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Speaker 1: those But I just love that, you know, starting joy

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Speaker 1: allows him that to be able to kind of work

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Speaker 1: through his game in that way where he doesn't have

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Speaker 1: to be the full time crazy defender. He was awesome

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Speaker 1: though on that end. I thought all night. There was

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Speaker 1: a few plays maybe he didn't get back to transition,

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Speaker 1: but for the most part, I thought he was, you know,

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Speaker 1: just a turnover creating, creating chaos on that end. And

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Speaker 1: then he played the center for a few minutes, right,

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Speaker 1: He played it next to Stanley Johnson in the fourth

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Speaker 1: or you know with the second unit, and that second

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Speaker 1: unit is really interesting. I love to kind of get

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Speaker 1: into that or again th h T Austin Reeves. I

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Speaker 1: believe it was Malik Monk with them as well. They yeah,

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Speaker 1: they just and Stanley Johnson they just switched everything and

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Speaker 1: that and they kind of gave up the lead again.

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Speaker 1: I believe in that third quarter, I thought, you know,

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Speaker 1: U Tah turned up the pressure. Taylor was the only

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Speaker 1: ball handler where we took Brawn out in that situation.

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Speaker 1: But it's just a nice kind of change up. And

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Speaker 1: I think the braun at the five being a change

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Speaker 1: up instead of like our just main pitch. That makes

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Speaker 1: the world's a difference. And I thought, you know, against

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Speaker 1: second units, against you know, a lot of teams second units,

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Speaker 1: that's a tough her and Utah was unable to sustain that.

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Speaker 1: We build our lead that way, um and I think

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Speaker 1: that's the way this team has to go. Man, when

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Speaker 1: both of us have been begging for more switching, we

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Speaker 1: got it a ton more to night. It was really

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Speaker 1: no noticeable. It jumped off the page and it just

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Speaker 1: confounded Utah. You know, like Jason, we looked like the

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Speaker 1: Clippers in the playoffs last year, you know what, like

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Speaker 1: like like Stanley Johnson and that Terrence Man role a

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Speaker 1: little bit right where they try to hide go bear

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Speaker 1: um on on a guy who's a nonshooter, and they

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Speaker 1: give that guy the ball and just say, hey, you create.

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Speaker 1: And Stanley Johnson has enough ball handling, you know, skill

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Speaker 1: to where he can attack the basket he saw I

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Speaker 1: think you tweeted about as well. In transition he saw

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Speaker 1: go bare back and he just went right into his

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Speaker 1: chest and he was able to score. And I think

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Speaker 1: he has that kind of you know, skill level in it.

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Speaker 1: But it was cool to see us kind of out

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Speaker 1: skiing Utah, I thought, in this way, and we're not

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Speaker 1: gonna be able to switch against like every team like this,

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Speaker 1: but it gets a team like Utah that's so that

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Speaker 1: relies so heavily on screen actions to to get their offense.

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Speaker 1: They just look psottos right, and they were you know,

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Speaker 1: trying to kick out when there was no kickouts there,

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Speaker 1: trying to find guys on the roll. I think it's

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Speaker 1: funny Bart gets seals, and I thought Stanley just a

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Speaker 1: great did a great job scramming them in the post

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Speaker 1: where like when Malik Monks would be down there, he

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Speaker 1: throws him out and he gets back on Golbert. He

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Speaker 1: was just incredible. But man, our our defense was good,

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Speaker 1: uh and we hit threes early. We went cold in

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Speaker 1: the third, and to me, it's even more impressive Jason

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Speaker 1: that you know, Utah went up ten and it looked

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Speaker 1: like yeah, and we fought all the way back with

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Speaker 1: with Stanley at the five, Lebron and I think Austin

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Speaker 1: Reeves is on the floor to this is a good

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Speaker 1: Utah team like this, This isn't like the Atlanta Hawks

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Speaker 1: where I was saying, you know that I I think

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Speaker 1: they're good, but you know, their record doesn't display that

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Speaker 1: Utah is a really good team. I believe they're twenty

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Speaker 1: and ten when Gobert plays, so just that just gives

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Speaker 1: you kind of a picture of what they do. But

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Speaker 1: now we we confounded him. I think this is a

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Speaker 1: blueprint for we can do, at least until Anthony Davis

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Speaker 1: gets back. More switching, goes small, play, our younger guys,

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Speaker 1: play the youth, have some exuberants there, and I think

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Speaker 1: we can kind of pick up a couple more wins here. Agree,

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Speaker 1: So I think I think we need to move a

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Speaker 1: little bit further to same because he was the star

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Speaker 1: of the show, and ironically his little offensive flurry in

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Speaker 1: the fourth quarter distracted from what would have been a

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Speaker 1: good game without any of that scoring. Because the way

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Speaker 1: that the way that Stanley battled go Bear physically on

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Speaker 1: both ends of the floor was so impressive beyond like

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Speaker 1: stuff that just goes unnoticed, like on so many of

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Speaker 1: those fourth quarter possessions. A long jump shot was going

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Speaker 1: up because perimeter players and the Lakers were doing their

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Speaker 1: jobs and forcing guys to take tough shots, and here

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Speaker 1: come these high rebounds off the rim. And Stand is

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Speaker 1: just in their fighting with Rudy, and the most important

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Speaker 1: thing is in order for you to hold your ground,

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Speaker 1: you can't jump. And so he kept Rudy on the

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Speaker 1: ground in that fourth quarter by staying connected to him

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Speaker 1: in these box out situations. And there were there were

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Speaker 1: I have to go back and watch the film, but

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Speaker 1: it seemed to me like there were at least a

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Speaker 1: half dozen plays in that fourth quarter where Rudy could

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Speaker 1: have had an offensive rebound if literally any other Laker

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Speaker 1: other than maybe Lebron was there matched up with him.

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Speaker 1: And then on the weeks on the on the perimeter,

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Speaker 1: those guys Austin and and Malik and t HD were

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Speaker 1: coming flying in to to secure the rebound while Stanley

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Speaker 1: was down there fighting. And again Stand we we can

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Speaker 1: get into it like the Lebron as a as a

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Speaker 1: screener things setting that low screen there around like seven

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Speaker 1: eight ft from the rim. Yet did a really good

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Speaker 1: job of disrupting uh Utah's defense and letting Stanley, who's

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Speaker 1: really like we've talked about, it's just a big, strong

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Speaker 1: athlete letting him get a head of steam go into

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Speaker 1: the rim. That obviously was working, but Stanley was just

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Speaker 1: doing so much else on the court. I wanted to

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Speaker 1: give him that shot. Even early in the first half,

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Speaker 1: he was doing that thing Dwight always does where when

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Speaker 1: he's kind of like backpedaling against the guy driving to

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Speaker 1: the basket, he's just kind of swiping down at the

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Speaker 1: basketball with like good instincts without losing his balance. And

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Speaker 1: he had a couple of steals in the first half

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Speaker 1: like that. Just just an unbelievable game. As you know,

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Speaker 1: our guy from Laker film room, he always describes Stanley

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Speaker 1: as a big, strong athlete who runs around and does stuff.

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Speaker 1: And I love that just him because that's what it is.

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Speaker 1: Because when you have that type of physical frame and

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Speaker 1: that type of athleticism and you're playing your ass off,

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Speaker 1: it's like a wrecking ball on the basketball court, and

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Speaker 1: and just good stuff just follows everywhere. And we need

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Speaker 1: so much more of that, and I'm hopeful that tonight

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Speaker 1: is that final kick in the butt to try to

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Speaker 1: get more minutes out of him. From Frank Yeah, man,

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Speaker 1: he he needs to play, and I thought he didn't

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Speaker 1: play enough in Denver. I think he had like thirteen

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Speaker 1: minutes in that Denver game. He's just a big small

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Speaker 1: ball five who plays hard. Writing you know, everyone wonders

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Speaker 1: why every Bradley starts every game, and I you know,

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Speaker 1: rationale behind that that Frank is going to is every

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Speaker 1: Bradley plays hard. He doesn't play well every night, but

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Speaker 1: he plays hard. He has a baseline level that Frank

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Speaker 1: Vogel expects and he gets that every night. And you

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Speaker 1: don't here at the ceiling that Mileek Monk brings, or

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Speaker 1: even the you know, chaos to Austin Reeves can bring.

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Speaker 1: But every Bradley he just trusts him. And I think

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Speaker 1: Stanny Johnson has kind of proven to me that he

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Speaker 1: plays hard. Pretty much every moment he's on the floor,

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Speaker 1: he's always running back. There's never a time where I'm like,

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Speaker 1: oh man, Stanley kind of jog back. No, He's always

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Speaker 1: in a full sprint. And he has good defensive instincts too,

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Speaker 1: And I think it's unfair to just say that he

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Speaker 1: plays hard. He's like, he has defensive instincts that are

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Speaker 1: there that are perfectly fit to me for a small

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Speaker 1: Ball five, especially next to Lebron, and there were nights like,

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Speaker 1: I'm very high on Donovan Mitchell. I think Mitchell was

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Speaker 1: one of the best. Like I guard scores, He's a

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Speaker 1: playoff killer. Stanley was able to switch on him and

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Speaker 1: stay in front of him, and he's strong enough. Mitchell

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Speaker 1: is a super strong guy. He's strong enough where he

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Speaker 1: couldn't overpower him to the rim. And you saw Donovan

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Speaker 1: Mitchell take a bunch of like forty footers right tonight,

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Speaker 1: and a lot of that because the guy on the

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Speaker 1: other end is Lebron James and it's Stanley Johnson guarding

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Speaker 1: those screen actors, and that's just a lot tougher to me,

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Speaker 1: and Dono Mitchell is probably gonna be can be a

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Speaker 1: lot better obviously than he showed tonight. But I'm just saying, like,

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Speaker 1: just in a way, I think this is this is

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Speaker 1: how this team needs to play. I love Dwight in

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Speaker 1: the rotation. I think that just helps Uh, that just

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Speaker 1: helps Lebron a lot. I thought Lebron looked like he

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Speaker 1: had a lot more energy as well on the defensive end,

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Speaker 1: not having to be the full time center. All this

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Speaker 1: stuff is connected it and you saw the energy kind

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Speaker 1: of just pick up and this team kind of goes

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Speaker 1: as Lebron goes. I think Pete said as well in

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Speaker 1: the LFR pod he saw Lebron be super energized, but

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Speaker 1: just play him around the youth man. I think we

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Speaker 1: were seeing that that's so necessary on this team. This

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Speaker 1: is an old team, but it has youthful players that

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Speaker 1: can play, and I think, you know, Reeves and Stanley

402
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Speaker 1: are are part of that, and I think their minutes

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Speaker 1: are just gonna go up as as we go here.

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Speaker 1: But Stanley was definitely the name of the game tonight.

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Speaker 1: He was incredible. They put the ball in his hands.

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Speaker 1: I always say that, you know, if you show aggression

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Speaker 1: to me, Lebron's gonna give you the basketball. Like Lebron

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Speaker 1: can kind of feel it, right, and he could tell

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Speaker 1: that Stanley was, you know aggressive. Stanley was shooting mid

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Speaker 1: range pull ups, he was, you know, taking his corner

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Speaker 1: threes even if they weren't going in. I just think

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Speaker 1: that shows the level of aggression that has a domino

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Speaker 1: effect on the rest of your game. When you when

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Speaker 1: you're a passive player, that kind of shows up in

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Speaker 1: all parts and to me, when you're aggressive player, that

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Speaker 1: shows up in all parts, and even though the jumpers

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Speaker 1: don't go in, just the fact that he takes them

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Speaker 1: to me kind of leads to the attacks at the

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Speaker 1: basket that he had. So yeah, he was the star

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Speaker 1: of this game for sure. Yeah, and one last on Stanley.

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Speaker 1: I think it's really interesting. He is, you know, one

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Speaker 1: of the unique He's a very unique case of of

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Speaker 1: a young talented basketball player because we see so many

424
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Speaker 1: examples in NBA history of the you know, Jimmy Butler

425
00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:15,680
Speaker 1: type kind of guy who, like, you have these great

426
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Speaker 1: physical tools, but you kind of grow up as like

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Speaker 1: a forward slash center. So in the NBA you kind

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Speaker 1: of turned into like a wrecking ball type of wing

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Speaker 1: and then over time you get more and more skilled

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Speaker 1: and then you develop into this like, you know, perimeter

431
00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,760
Speaker 1: initiator type. That's your Jimmy Butler, like kaw while enertype. Well,

432
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,720
Speaker 1: Stanley Johnson's kind of the opposite because like he actually

433
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,480
Speaker 1: growing up was a very good perimeter player. You know.

434
00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,160
Speaker 1: He was one of the one of those mixtape heroes,

435
00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:45,280
Speaker 1: one of the guys that was doing all the crazy

436
00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:47,560
Speaker 1: stuff on YouTube that was getting millions of views, and

437
00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:52,280
Speaker 1: came into Arizona as a star and then basically turned

438
00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,760
Speaker 1: out as he got further in the game that he

439
00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,800
Speaker 1: wasn't skilled enough to be that type of perimeter initiators.

440
00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:01,399
Speaker 1: So then he defaulted it to Okay, I'll be the

441
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:03,680
Speaker 1: wrecking ball forward, you know, playing for Toronto, do it

442
00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:07,399
Speaker 1: all these defensive things. But because of that background that

443
00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,400
Speaker 1: he has, he actually has a good amount of polish.

444
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,080
Speaker 1: Like that move. I think it was pretty late in

445
00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:16,600
Speaker 1: his fourth quarter run there where he like switched to

446
00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:19,760
Speaker 1: his left hand after gathering on that drive from Jordan Clarkson,

447
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,800
Speaker 1: Like Jordan was in behind him and was loading up

448
00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:24,639
Speaker 1: to try to block him off the glass, and in

449
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,159
Speaker 1: Stanley just switched hands and went to his left finished

450
00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,080
Speaker 1: on the right side. Did he finish on the right side, Yeah,

451
00:20:30,119 --> 00:20:31,800
Speaker 1: he finished with his left hand on the on the

452
00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:33,760
Speaker 1: right side of the room. And and then like some

453
00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,200
Speaker 1: of the footwork stuff, the way he keeps his balance,

454
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,760
Speaker 1: like his his comfort level to for Lebron to be like, hey,

455
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,520
Speaker 1: for this matchup to work, I want you to be

456
00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:45,280
Speaker 1: the pick and roll ball handler here, Like for that

457
00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:48,119
Speaker 1: to work, he needed to have the background that he

458
00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,040
Speaker 1: had as a perimeter player growing up, you know, uh,

459
00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:54,159
Speaker 1: coming up through high school and so I thought that

460
00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,720
Speaker 1: was a super interesting element there, Like, you know, will

461
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,680
Speaker 1: Stanley have nights like that offensively that often? No, because

462
00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,800
Speaker 1: he's just not consistent enough with those things. But you

463
00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:07,159
Speaker 1: know that that type of you know, versatility that he

464
00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,000
Speaker 1: has as a guy who can attack the close out

465
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:10,959
Speaker 1: and make a play for a teammate or go on

466
00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,760
Speaker 1: the occasional offensive spurt just kind of raises the value

467
00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,600
Speaker 1: that he brings because he always plays hard and because

468
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,640
Speaker 1: he does the dirty work. So I'm I'm a huge

469
00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,160
Speaker 1: fan of his game. You you had mentioned Avery Bradley,

470
00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:23,920
Speaker 1: I'm with you. He plays hard. He needs to be

471
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:25,720
Speaker 1: in the rotation. I think he's an NBA player. I

472
00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:27,639
Speaker 1: think he belongs on the Lakers. I think he belongs

473
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,200
Speaker 1: on the roster. However, he needs his role needs to

474
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,560
Speaker 1: be swapped with one of those guys that's just that's

475
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:36,280
Speaker 1: just been better than him. He needs to be the

476
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:39,040
Speaker 1: guy who's playing, you know, one shift in the first half,

477
00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:41,399
Speaker 1: one shift in the second half, you know, because you

478
00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,640
Speaker 1: understand that you can get competent, you know, on ball,

479
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,400
Speaker 1: pressure defense and things like that in those moments. But

480
00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,120
Speaker 1: he just too often is getting punished for his lack

481
00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,720
Speaker 1: of size, and then he actually is one of the

482
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,119
Speaker 1: worst off ball defenders that we have on the team.

483
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,160
Speaker 1: He loses focus, he loses sight of his responsibility. He's

484
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,400
Speaker 1: on the ball and he's pressuring. He has some success

485
00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,240
Speaker 1: there even though he gives up a lot of straightline drives.

486
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,159
Speaker 1: At least he's disruptive and makes it I feel uncomfortable.

487
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:11,119
Speaker 1: He brings some value, but you know, when we're evaluating

488
00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:14,800
Speaker 1: basketball players, you know, there's every player on the team

489
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:19,160
Speaker 1: brings some value, right, Like even DeAndre Jordan brings tallness,

490
00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,720
Speaker 1: you know. But the thing is is like the guys

491
00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:25,960
Speaker 1: who start typically bring more value than the guys who don't, right,

492
00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:28,919
Speaker 1: And so my thing is like leaning on him so

493
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,160
Speaker 1: much like pulling Reeves after he had that magnificent start

494
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,680
Speaker 1: to the fourth quarter. To go back to Avery Bradley,

495
00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,280
Speaker 1: you know, even when Avery Bradley was having a rough night,

496
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,440
Speaker 1: that goes to show you that there's like a rotation

497
00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:42,800
Speaker 1: pattern there, right, And it's like, okay, Avery starts and

498
00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:46,199
Speaker 1: he closes, and then Austin kind of dispels him. That

499
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,639
Speaker 1: needs to be flipped, you know, Austin needs to start

500
00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:51,280
Speaker 1: so that we have more consistent energy to start these games,

501
00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,600
Speaker 1: and Austin needs to close because he's just a better

502
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,399
Speaker 1: basketball player right now. Then. Don't get me wrong, Austin

503
00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,840
Speaker 1: Avery made a huge shot rubbed into my face because

504
00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,520
Speaker 1: I was on Twitter complaining about himselfing back into the game.

505
00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,480
Speaker 1: But the point being like, these are these are the

506
00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:07,440
Speaker 1: little kings we have to work out obviously, Like even

507
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,439
Speaker 1: if you can replicate this effort moving forward from the

508
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,040
Speaker 1: whole team, and even if you can replicate some of

509
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,600
Speaker 1: this schematic stuff moving forward for the whole team, there

510
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,359
Speaker 1: are little details that have to get worked out. Like

511
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,200
Speaker 1: I actually disagree with you about Dwight. I don't even

512
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,080
Speaker 1: think we'll get into that tonight. But the point is

513
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,600
Speaker 1: is like there are little details that we still have

514
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:28,600
Speaker 1: to work out here, and that Avery Bradley Austin Reeves

515
00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,480
Speaker 1: dynamic is one that I think needs to get worked out. Yeah.

516
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:34,760
Speaker 1: It's interesting because I think, you know, every Badley kind

517
00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,240
Speaker 1: of fits like the drop coverage type of scheme, and

518
00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:39,159
Speaker 1: I think he fits out well with Dwight Howard. That's

519
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,119
Speaker 1: why I thought that starting lineup, I thought they defended

520
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,600
Speaker 1: at least well together. My issue with every Badley to me,

521
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:45,440
Speaker 1: he doesn't really fit a scheme when you're trying to

522
00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:47,960
Speaker 1: switch everything, right, and when it's him and Malik Monks

523
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,200
Speaker 1: out there, and when it's him and Malik Monk out there,

524
00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,560
Speaker 1: just there's a breaking point to when you're playing small, right,

525
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:54,760
Speaker 1: So if you're ready playing small and the guards you're

526
00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,080
Speaker 1: playing are small like that, that there's no advantage to that, right. Plus,

527
00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,439
Speaker 1: Avery Badley is a shooter, but he does space the

528
00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,359
Speaker 1: floor in the way like a real shooter does. Right,

529
00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:04,560
Speaker 1: He's not dynamic as a shooter. He's like he just

530
00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:06,639
Speaker 1: has to be completely wide open to shoot. And in

531
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:08,320
Speaker 1: small ball, you kind of need guys who can kind

532
00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:10,439
Speaker 1: of be not three level scores, but at least can

533
00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:12,000
Speaker 1: take it off the bounce a little bit. That's why

534
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,280
Speaker 1: I just think it's that fit there is ugly, especially

535
00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,720
Speaker 1: the Rust Monk and Avery Bradley kind of, you know,

536
00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:18,919
Speaker 1: it was kind of like that's just really tough to me,

537
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,800
Speaker 1: especially defensively when you're trying to switch everything. Those guys

538
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:23,919
Speaker 1: kind of take the wrong angles on screens all the

539
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:25,159
Speaker 1: all the time, and those are guys you have to

540
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:26,920
Speaker 1: kind of cover for. And you and I always say

541
00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:28,359
Speaker 1: when we have like two to three guys to cover for,

542
00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:30,679
Speaker 1: on defense. It's tough, so I kind of understand it.

543
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:32,880
Speaker 1: But you know, Reeves played eight minutes in the first half.

544
00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,000
Speaker 1: He ended up playing thirteen in the second half. I

545
00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:36,679
Speaker 1: thought he came out because he kind of played a

546
00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,400
Speaker 1: longer shift. Like that's my you know, just glass half

547
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:41,920
Speaker 1: full optimism there why Reeves didn't close the game. I

548
00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:43,600
Speaker 1: wanted to be close, but I just thought he had

549
00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,560
Speaker 1: a long fourth quarter shifts, so I'm thinking that's why

550
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:47,400
Speaker 1: they pulled him. The game was kind of in hander.

551
00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,040
Speaker 1: I think we were up like six when when Reeves

552
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:51,960
Speaker 1: came out, it was like to two or three minutes left.

553
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,080
Speaker 1: I think, Um, and you can kind of see the

554
00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:56,240
Speaker 1: game being under control. But yeah, and I think Austin

555
00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:59,080
Speaker 1: eventually takes those minutes like this, it's just too loud. Um.

556
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,320
Speaker 1: I'm gonna ask you about HD because I think it's interesting.

557
00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,400
Speaker 1: I think we are tell me if I'm wrong here.

558
00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,159
Speaker 1: I think we are actively trying to find him on

559
00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:09,320
Speaker 1: ball possessions, and people are telling me, are we trying

560
00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:10,920
Speaker 1: to find him on ball possessions? Are we trying to

561
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,159
Speaker 1: win games? Obviously you're trying to win games, but I

562
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:15,080
Speaker 1: think you have to kind of, you know, create line

563
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:17,000
Speaker 1: ups around your player skill sets, like that's just a

564
00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,240
Speaker 1: coach's job. And I think finding a couple of minutes

565
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:20,840
Speaker 1: here where th HD can kind of the ball in

566
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,439
Speaker 1: his hands. And you talked about Lebron, He's becoming a

567
00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,080
Speaker 1: full time screener in a way that I just didn't expect.

568
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:27,840
Speaker 1: And you see it also in the th HD lineups.

569
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,080
Speaker 1: TC got the ball in a five out setting. We

570
00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:32,320
Speaker 1: always say that, you know, we always say about Russ

571
00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:34,920
Speaker 1: get him five out spacing, but th HD especially can

572
00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,920
Speaker 1: also kind of, uh, he can kind of be better

573
00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:39,119
Speaker 1: for it if you kind of put him in some

574
00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,639
Speaker 1: spacing lineups and with Stanley at the five. Sley's not

575
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,399
Speaker 1: a pure shooter, but he spaces the game out for

576
00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:46,040
Speaker 1: him and just screen acttionsly where you can get to

577
00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,520
Speaker 1: the basket. I thought he was under control attacking the rim.

578
00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:50,439
Speaker 1: You see he has jumper getting a little bit more

579
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:52,800
Speaker 1: comfortable every game. I think he hit another three tonight.

580
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,000
Speaker 1: What you see from THHD because and his defense as well.

581
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,120
Speaker 1: I thought his defense on Mitchell and the fourth was

582
00:25:57,119 --> 00:25:59,520
Speaker 1: was super impressive, being able to take off the drive

583
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,040
Speaker 1: and still I think you got a hand on the

584
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:02,600
Speaker 1: blood on the shot or not. He doesn't get it.

585
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:04,239
Speaker 1: He didn't get credit for a block. He did get

586
00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,640
Speaker 1: a credit from for a block on it. I was wrong,

587
00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:08,520
Speaker 1: But yes, I thought his defense on Mature it was good.

588
00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,600
Speaker 1: What do you think? It was such a classic young

589
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:13,720
Speaker 1: guy up and down type of game because he had

590
00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:15,760
Speaker 1: that stretch in the third quarter where he made a

591
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:19,320
Speaker 1: couple of offensive mistakes in a row and like miss

592
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,920
Speaker 1: a close out in the in the in the corner

593
00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,280
Speaker 1: for three that led to a time out. Like you know,

594
00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 1: he had some down moments, but then he also had

595
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:30,360
Speaker 1: all of these up moments, which which is typical. Now

596
00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,320
Speaker 1: I think, I think there's an interesting dynamics why Lebron

597
00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:35,960
Speaker 1: is setting more screens. So I have a theory about this,

598
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,680
Speaker 1: and I'm curious to see to see what you think.

599
00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:41,919
Speaker 1: So obviously, with a guy like th HT as a

600
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:43,960
Speaker 1: spot up shooter, and he has actually been shooting a

601
00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,440
Speaker 1: little better of late, although he's still not a great

602
00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:48,879
Speaker 1: three point shooter. But what you're seeing is, you know,

603
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,920
Speaker 1: I think Lebron understands that, like, hey, when I catch

604
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:53,680
Speaker 1: on the perimeter and I turned and I look at

605
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,920
Speaker 1: the defense and th HD s on the floor, or

606
00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,680
Speaker 1: even like some guys like Austin Reeves aren't really particularly

607
00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,680
Speaker 1: getting guarded super close, or Russ is the same thing

608
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,200
Speaker 1: Stanley Johnson. There were stretches there in that fourth quarter

609
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,880
Speaker 1: where I think this is the big reason why Lebron

610
00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 1: went to the screening position there is they would put

611
00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:13,720
Speaker 1: Stanley in the corner and Rudy was just kind of

612
00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,360
Speaker 1: standing at the block, you know, not really paying much

613
00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,639
Speaker 1: attention to Stanley. So what I think Lebron is seeing there.

614
00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,160
Speaker 1: One of the consistent themes throughout Lebron's career is he

615
00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,600
Speaker 1: likes to be able to give the ball to someone else.

616
00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,600
Speaker 1: He's always like that. It's I was in a discussion

617
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,280
Speaker 1: with someone about this today. One of the most common

618
00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:34,000
Speaker 1: misconceptions about Lebron is that he's not a ballhog. You know,

619
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:37,480
Speaker 1: when he does have the ball, he does commandeer the possession.

620
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,520
Speaker 1: That is true. But what he likes to do is

621
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:43,960
Speaker 1: commandeer possession. Comment here two or three possessions in a row.

622
00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,760
Speaker 1: But then he wants to rest while he's on the floor.

623
00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:49,040
Speaker 1: And one of the ways that I think he's seeing

624
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,719
Speaker 1: that through taking advantage of spacing and also getting him

625
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,520
Speaker 1: getting himself a chance to rest, is what if I

626
00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,879
Speaker 1: set the screen, because if I set the screen, they

627
00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,080
Speaker 1: absolutely are going to find a way to stay attached

628
00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:06,880
Speaker 1: to me. Because I'm Lebron James and th HT has

629
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:11,000
Speaker 1: the basketball. Stanley Johnson has the basketball. You have to

630
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,200
Speaker 1: guard him because if you don't like Stanley did, I'm

631
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:15,800
Speaker 1: just gonna go down the lane every time and lay

632
00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:19,400
Speaker 1: it up. And so it's an interesting counter to spacing issues.

633
00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:21,520
Speaker 1: It's something we talked about with Russell Lot. If you

634
00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,800
Speaker 1: get in, if you get him, either as a screener

635
00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,280
Speaker 1: or with the ball, you're so much of a threat

636
00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:30,480
Speaker 1: that you have to be guarded. And so I thought

637
00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:33,800
Speaker 1: that was an interesting counter tonight, like, Okay, you know

638
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,080
Speaker 1: I'm not shooting the ball is especially well. I need

639
00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:40,360
Speaker 1: rests because I've been defending super hard. I need to

640
00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:44,200
Speaker 1: stay effective, and I need your offense to stay effective

641
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,800
Speaker 1: without me staring down the defense from the rim with

642
00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:51,240
Speaker 1: everybody packing the paint. So what if I start setting

643
00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,440
Speaker 1: the ball screen? What if I take Rudy Gobert's man

644
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,680
Speaker 1: and turn him into the ball handler. So now Rudy

645
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,160
Speaker 1: freaking Gobert is guarding a Hi can roll ball handler.

646
00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:03,880
Speaker 1: If I do that, I might be able to rest

647
00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,480
Speaker 1: on the floor while also taking advantage of some of

648
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,280
Speaker 1: the offensive limitations as spot up shooters of some of

649
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:12,080
Speaker 1: the guys that have in the floor. It's super interesting

650
00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,320
Speaker 1: because I think, you know, if there's one another thing

651
00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:18,240
Speaker 1: with Lebron, he doesn't he wants to win first and foremost.

652
00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,160
Speaker 1: And I thought that that was really interesting the way

653
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,520
Speaker 1: that he kept spamming that Stanley Johnson actually because he

654
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,920
Speaker 1: doesn't care if he doesn't touch the ball. He didn't

655
00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:27,800
Speaker 1: care that he only had twenty five tonight, Like he

656
00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:30,760
Speaker 1: just wanted to win, and the best way for them

657
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,920
Speaker 1: to win was to do something jan Kee to to

658
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:38,440
Speaker 1: screw with Utah's defense and putting Rudy Gobert in an

659
00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:42,840
Speaker 1: on ball defense position completely threw them off. Yeah. Yeah,

660
00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,080
Speaker 1: it's like throwing Gobert and screen actions right, Like that's

661
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:46,480
Speaker 1: kind of the way you want to beat them. And

662
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:48,680
Speaker 1: I thought, you know, it's not just tonight either. Lebron

663
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:51,240
Speaker 1: has been moving towards the screener for a lot of

664
00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:53,240
Speaker 1: these games. A lot of these, especially when we go

665
00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,840
Speaker 1: small league, monkst the ball handler a lot, even like

666
00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:57,720
Speaker 1: screening for th h T. I think it's just a

667
00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:00,040
Speaker 1: nice wrinkle to our offense that we're finding gear. And

668
00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,000
Speaker 1: I've always said, like, you know, the losses where what

669
00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:03,960
Speaker 1: they are, but I think like we're starting to kind

670
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,280
Speaker 1: of find things that work offensively. We just need to

671
00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:08,680
Speaker 1: have to have like some baseline level of defense to

672
00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:10,400
Speaker 1: kind of keep up with it. And and I obviously

673
00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:12,240
Speaker 1: was was better than that. I don't think we're gonna,

674
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:13,880
Speaker 1: you know, play this level of defense every night, but

675
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:15,440
Speaker 1: we can kind of keep up to it because our

676
00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:18,240
Speaker 1: offense has been scoring. At least for the last throw

677
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:20,720
Speaker 1: away that Denver game, but offense has been kind of scoring.

678
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:22,600
Speaker 1: And I think Lebron being a screener is kind of

679
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:24,360
Speaker 1: interesting with it. And I guess I guess we can

680
00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,360
Speaker 1: kind of move this to Russ because I think it's fascinating. Um, obviously,

681
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:29,200
Speaker 1: I think you think Ye had the worst game than

682
00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:33,600
Speaker 1: I did. Uh, the plus minus isn't very favorable to him,

683
00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:35,720
Speaker 1: but you know, I five for fourteen is what it is. Um,

684
00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:37,920
Speaker 1: he's still kind of you know, in that low turnover range.

685
00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:40,480
Speaker 1: He only had to turnovers to night. He's still kind

686
00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,680
Speaker 1: of adjusting right to to this new kind of play style.

687
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:45,880
Speaker 1: And I think it's fascinating. And tell me, you know again,

688
00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,120
Speaker 1: if I'm wrong here. But I just feel like Russ.

689
00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,520
Speaker 1: We are kind of moving Russ more and more off ball,

690
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,360
Speaker 1: and we're kind of putting his possessions in very uh,

691
00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,760
Speaker 1: very purposeful, purposeful places, right, So we're starting to just

692
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,320
Speaker 1: clear the left side him and just having him is so,

693
00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:03,320
Speaker 1: you know, on the left side, and we're clearing that

694
00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:05,440
Speaker 1: whole side. So we just throw all the other four

695
00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:07,239
Speaker 1: players on the right side. Russ has a one on

696
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,560
Speaker 1: one attacked the ram or get to his bank shot.

697
00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,000
Speaker 1: But it's crazy to me how off the ball he is.

698
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:13,560
Speaker 1: I remember watching the first quarter, I was like, man,

699
00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:16,920
Speaker 1: Russ hasn't really initiated offense um in a long time.

700
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:18,760
Speaker 1: And you know, I've been a proponent of this. It's

701
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:20,720
Speaker 1: just interesting to watch it kind of play out in

702
00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,000
Speaker 1: real time. As you know, Lebron also moves to a

703
00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:25,560
Speaker 1: screener here, putting the bottom leak Monk's hand, putting the

704
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,240
Speaker 1: ball on Thhd's hands, just other ball handles, right. You know,

705
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,080
Speaker 1: we're moving more off ball. You are you seeing that

706
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:33,280
Speaker 1: as well as we progress here in these games. Yeah,

707
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:37,960
Speaker 1: you know, in the accepting the most likely reality that

708
00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:39,560
Speaker 1: Russ is going to be on the team for the

709
00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:42,040
Speaker 1: rest of the season. This is the best way to

710
00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:45,520
Speaker 1: use him. That goes without saying I mean, I think

711
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,480
Speaker 1: it's unfortunate that a guy making this much is being

712
00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,640
Speaker 1: relegated to essentially a role player in terms of just

713
00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:54,360
Speaker 1: the predicament as it pertains to the Lakers in there,

714
00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:58,800
Speaker 1: you know, circumstances off the court. But that said, like

715
00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:01,160
Speaker 1: in this predicament, this is the best way to do it.

716
00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:04,040
Speaker 1: I I what I what I have been calling out

717
00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:08,000
Speaker 1: with Russ is like, hey, like another good team, another

718
00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:11,640
Speaker 1: good defense and by for four teen, you know, like

719
00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:15,280
Speaker 1: these there's a consistent theme at this phase of his

720
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,960
Speaker 1: career that when he plays against good defensive teams and

721
00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:23,680
Speaker 1: good defensive players, he's just not as impactful, not nearly

722
00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,560
Speaker 1: as impactful as he used to be. And you know,

723
00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:30,239
Speaker 1: and so that that concerns me, right, because you know,

724
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,800
Speaker 1: in order for the Lakers to win the championship with

725
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,479
Speaker 1: the depth that they gave up, with the hustle that

726
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,800
Speaker 1: they gave up in that trade, they need Russ to

727
00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,000
Speaker 1: play like a star, right. I mean, if you're gonna

728
00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,200
Speaker 1: beat these good teams at the top of the West,

729
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:48,600
Speaker 1: if you're gonna beat these good teams at the top

730
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,040
Speaker 1: of the East. I think you need more out of

731
00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:52,600
Speaker 1: Russ than what you're getting, and I don't think he

732
00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,640
Speaker 1: can give that. So that's that's just the way that

733
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:57,680
Speaker 1: the way that I look at Russ played fine tonight.

734
00:32:57,720 --> 00:32:59,800
Speaker 1: I was a little annoyed with him that he missed

735
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,560
Speaker 1: a box out on the first possession of the game

736
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:03,440
Speaker 1: after talking the way he did in the in the

737
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:06,280
Speaker 1: press conference, and look like, I'll never lie to you guys,

738
00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,480
Speaker 1: Like from objectively throughout Russ's career, I've never been a

739
00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:11,680
Speaker 1: fan of his brand of basketball. So I look at

740
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:15,200
Speaker 1: this with bias and I'm you know, I encourage you

741
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:17,440
Speaker 1: to find someone else who's more of a fan so

742
00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:19,560
Speaker 1: that you can get the alternate perspective, you know what

743
00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,400
Speaker 1: I mean. But like the when I when I watched Russ,

744
00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,200
Speaker 1: I I I his I find his brand of basketball

745
00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,360
Speaker 1: to be way less impactful than other people think he is.

746
00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:30,160
Speaker 1: I don't think it's a coincidence that the team had

747
00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,440
Speaker 1: their best stretch with him off the floor, you know

748
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,680
Speaker 1: what I mean. I think I think with I always

749
00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:38,240
Speaker 1: talk about fit, you know, like when when when Lebron

750
00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,800
Speaker 1: and a D, especially when a D comes back. But

751
00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:44,800
Speaker 1: this team the best version of this team is, you know,

752
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,760
Speaker 1: is what you saw in that fourth quarter, like this

753
00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,920
Speaker 1: modern switchy five out attack. And I don't think Russ

754
00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:57,080
Speaker 1: is attentive to enough to the details the way that

755
00:33:57,120 --> 00:33:59,640
Speaker 1: guys like Austin Reeves are or Stanley Johnson are. In

756
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:02,920
Speaker 1: terms of their responsibilities, Like I was talking about, there's

757
00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:08,120
Speaker 1: a huge difference between like loud hustle, which is loud plays,

758
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:12,839
Speaker 1: and real hustle, which is I never miss my responsibility. Ever,

759
00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:16,520
Speaker 1: that's that's real hustle, and I think Russ struggles in

760
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,279
Speaker 1: that area. And I think that's why the team, you know,

761
00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,879
Speaker 1: it seems to me, at least for me personally, when

762
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,399
Speaker 1: I've watched this team over the last few years, they're

763
00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:29,080
Speaker 1: at their best when they primarily lean into the strengths

764
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,680
Speaker 1: of their superstars and then have guys around them that

765
00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:37,680
Speaker 1: are true hustle players, players that never miss their responsibilities.

766
00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:39,480
Speaker 1: I think that's when they're at their best. So that's

767
00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:42,719
Speaker 1: just my view on that. And Russ, even though he

768
00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:44,799
Speaker 1: had a bad game tonight, I mean not bad game,

769
00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:46,400
Speaker 1: but even though he had a met game in my

770
00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:49,720
Speaker 1: opinion tonight, even if he had a few good games

771
00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:51,440
Speaker 1: in a row, I would continue to go back to

772
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,560
Speaker 1: that ideology because that's just the way I view the game.

773
00:34:54,680 --> 00:34:57,239
Speaker 1: So that's just my take on it. Again, Like I

774
00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:01,239
Speaker 1: encourage you find somebody who's more of Russ, you know,

775
00:35:01,719 --> 00:35:04,520
Speaker 1: positive as somebody who's much more positive about Russ to

776
00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:06,359
Speaker 1: get another angle on it. I mean, you give some

777
00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,560
Speaker 1: of that Raj, but I think you're a little closer

778
00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,239
Speaker 1: to me than some of the Russ stands. But that said, like,

779
00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:13,720
Speaker 1: it is interesting to see the way that they use him.

780
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:15,839
Speaker 1: My thing is like, if you're gonna put him off ball,

781
00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:18,319
Speaker 1: off the time, cut his minutes, and severely limit what

782
00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:20,480
Speaker 1: he can do offensively, then why in the hell did

783
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,879
Speaker 1: you make this trade to begin with? You know, like,

784
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:25,680
Speaker 1: like that would be my question. But you're right, like,

785
00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:27,520
Speaker 1: assuming he's going to be on the roster for the

786
00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:29,239
Speaker 1: rest of the season, this is the way you have

787
00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:32,640
Speaker 1: to use him, right, And I'm so far past that, right,

788
00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:34,960
Speaker 1: I'm like, Okay, he's here, the trade is made. You know,

789
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,040
Speaker 1: I'm trying to figure out um and I can see

790
00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:39,319
Speaker 1: them trying to figure out too. Why it's so so

791
00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:41,359
Speaker 1: fascinating to me that you know, we're starting to put

792
00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:43,160
Speaker 1: him even more off ball than we have, Like go

793
00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,040
Speaker 1: watch that first quarter, the first few possessions there, it's

794
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,399
Speaker 1: pretty much, you know, Russ on the week side while

795
00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:50,920
Speaker 1: we run like little screen actions for guys to come off.

796
00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:53,520
Speaker 1: Even we ran some offensive Araby Bradley, which I thought

797
00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:55,160
Speaker 1: was a little weird as well, But you know, even

798
00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:57,319
Speaker 1: Bradly having the ball in his hands more, Rush is

799
00:35:57,320 --> 00:35:59,640
Speaker 1: more as a cutter now. Russ is more like the

800
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:02,439
Speaker 1: set dairy attack and I think that's where he's best.

801
00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:04,480
Speaker 1: And I think, you know, you can still win that way,

802
00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:06,919
Speaker 1: and too me, Russ doesn't have to be a third star.

803
00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,640
Speaker 1: He definitely has to be better than he's shown. You know,

804
00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:12,040
Speaker 1: he was what do you go again? Five for fourteen tonight.

805
00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:14,560
Speaker 1: I thought, like, you know, four of those misses were

806
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:17,279
Speaker 1: like bad shots, like they were just you know, pull

807
00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:20,080
Speaker 1: up contested jump shots that you know, we're no reason.

808
00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:22,320
Speaker 1: I thought the dunk again tonight, that was the most

809
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:24,680
Speaker 1: That was the most athletic play I've seen from him

810
00:36:24,719 --> 00:36:27,239
Speaker 1: this year, right, And I think that, yeah, yeah, And

811
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:28,920
Speaker 1: I saw him, you know, kind of jump and be

812
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:30,799
Speaker 1: able to dunk on Gobert in that way he was

813
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:33,000
Speaker 1: able to and I think some of that also, you know,

814
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,200
Speaker 1: we had Dwight Dwight had to be you know, guarded

815
00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:36,960
Speaker 1: on the law. Gobert backed up and he got a

816
00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:39,160
Speaker 1: dunk on him. And I think, you know, playing we

817
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,120
Speaker 1: always think like give us space, but I think he

818
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:44,160
Speaker 1: does like playing with the traditional center as well, which is,

819
00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,040
Speaker 1: you know, it's kind of counterintuitive in terms of spacing,

820
00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:48,680
Speaker 1: but I think it's just something he's been used to,

821
00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:50,680
Speaker 1: you know, playing with Steven albums for that long and

822
00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:52,120
Speaker 1: stuff like that. I think he's just used to playing

823
00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,640
Speaker 1: with traditional centers. But yeah, it's just it's interesting to

824
00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:56,839
Speaker 1: me how we're kind of going in this direction. And

825
00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:58,680
Speaker 1: like I said, i'm a proponent of it. It's just

826
00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:00,640
Speaker 1: fascinating to see how the team kind of working it.

827
00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:02,399
Speaker 1: But putting him on, putting on there, and I think

828
00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:04,600
Speaker 1: his impact can be in different ways. I think switching

829
00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:06,719
Speaker 1: kind of induces a little bit of better stuff. I

830
00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:09,000
Speaker 1: don't think he's a guy you want chasing around screens,

831
00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:11,600
Speaker 1: you know, chasing Mike Conley around, trying to you know,

832
00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:13,560
Speaker 1: pick him up in different areas. I like, you know,

833
00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:15,440
Speaker 1: be able to switch, make him fight, you know, make

834
00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:17,560
Speaker 1: him win physical battles. I think that's what you have

835
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:19,279
Speaker 1: to do with him. But you know, I think he's

836
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:22,080
Speaker 1: kind of slowly getting there. Again, the plus minus wasn't

837
00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:25,200
Speaker 1: great for him tonight, but that's the kind of mover

838
00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,360
Speaker 1: going to this low turnover us. This is what you

839
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:29,279
Speaker 1: kind of get. It's not gonna be pretty, but I

840
00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:31,560
Speaker 1: just think, like it's fascinating to see where we've gone.

841
00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:33,640
Speaker 1: I guess with him, not just on offense, but on

842
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:36,239
Speaker 1: defense as well. It's a it's a transition from him

843
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,080
Speaker 1: from the player that you know, you thought you were

844
00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:39,920
Speaker 1: trading for, but this is not the guy you're kind

845
00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:42,080
Speaker 1: of getting right now. You're getting more of an off

846
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,279
Speaker 1: ball player, even more than I even thought I would

847
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:45,960
Speaker 1: get to. So I just want to like ask you

848
00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:48,200
Speaker 1: about that because I think it's interesting how the team's

849
00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:51,080
Speaker 1: kind of also go in that direction. It's super interesting.

850
00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:54,280
Speaker 1: But again, it's about it's about leaning and leaning into strength,

851
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,040
Speaker 1: you know what I mean? Moving forward? This is the

852
00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,960
Speaker 1: most interesting thing to to keep in mind, because you know,

853
00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:02,080
Speaker 1: one of our friends, one of our followers, just shared

854
00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:04,520
Speaker 1: with me a tweet that from David Mediment that said

855
00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:07,759
Speaker 1: that the Anthony Davis m R. I came back clean,

856
00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:10,440
Speaker 1: which is good news. So he's a ligamented heel, so

857
00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:12,840
Speaker 1: that's good news, so I means he is progressing in

858
00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:15,160
Speaker 1: the right direction, although I anticipate that he'll be out

859
00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:18,759
Speaker 1: for at least another couple of weeks um really quickly though.

860
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:22,759
Speaker 1: On Anthony Davis, I believe he was cleared for full contact. Yeah,

861
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:26,920
Speaker 1: so yeah, yeah, he was cleared for full contact. Wow.

862
00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:31,839
Speaker 1: That's awesome. So hopefully sooner than hope. Hopefully not long.

863
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:34,960
Speaker 1: But again, so this is the thing because you know,

864
00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:37,960
Speaker 1: the Lakers also pretty much took it to the Miami

865
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,759
Speaker 1: Heat in a very similar game without Lebron a couple

866
00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,440
Speaker 1: of months ago. And like you said, there was that

867
00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:46,879
Speaker 1: game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which, as we know now

868
00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:49,000
Speaker 1: in retrospect, was a much better team than we thought.

869
00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:53,799
Speaker 1: So you know, the key here is show me what

870
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,799
Speaker 1: you're about. Did you guys finally have a wake up

871
00:38:56,800 --> 00:39:01,120
Speaker 1: call after forty two games of an NBA season or

872
00:39:01,239 --> 00:39:04,560
Speaker 1: is this just another blip in uh, you know, in

873
00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:07,680
Speaker 1: a what was basically a ship storm of the season,

874
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:09,360
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And so that's gonna be

875
00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:12,239
Speaker 1: the the curious thing to to watch to watch moving

876
00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:14,359
Speaker 1: forward in terms of just how serious these guys are.

877
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,919
Speaker 1: I didn't want to hit on one last thing, guys

878
00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,240
Speaker 1: before we get out of here, because I think Raj,

879
00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:21,200
Speaker 1: you and I kind of fundamentally disagree on this. So

880
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:25,080
Speaker 1: I didn't want to play Dwight tonight at all, and

881
00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:27,560
Speaker 1: I'm not. I don't think it's necessarily a coincidence that

882
00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:29,719
Speaker 1: he was minus nine now, or at least not in

883
00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:31,759
Speaker 1: the gop Aarman as I should say. I would have

884
00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 1: staggered him against Gobert now. The reason why because I

885
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:38,200
Speaker 1: agree with you. I think Dwight's a good player. I

886
00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:42,799
Speaker 1: also think that Dwight uh is an awesome way to

887
00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:45,960
Speaker 1: keep Lebron from playing center all freaking game wall, So

888
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:47,920
Speaker 1: I agree with you about everything that you say about that.

889
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:50,800
Speaker 1: I also think while Dwight was on the Florid tonight,

890
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,799
Speaker 1: in the twentiessothing minutes that he played, he did a

891
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:56,000
Speaker 1: lot of positive things, So I want to frame it

892
00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:59,799
Speaker 1: like that to start. However, the reason why I think

893
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,120
Speaker 1: the Acres went minus nine in those minutes is when

894
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,160
Speaker 1: you play a traditional center against the Utah Jazz, you

895
00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:09,120
Speaker 1: played directly into their strengths. The reason why the Utah

896
00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:12,280
Speaker 1: Jazz has had so many so much regular season success

897
00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:14,719
Speaker 1: over the course of the last two seasons is the

898
00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:17,520
Speaker 1: fact that even though they don't have good perimeter defensive

899
00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:21,040
Speaker 1: players like Mike Conley not a great defensive player, Jordan

900
00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:23,759
Speaker 1: Clarkson not a great defensive player, Joe Angels kind of

901
00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:26,600
Speaker 1: on the tail end of his career. Bogdanovitch, he's okay,

902
00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:28,920
Speaker 1: He's had his moments. He can do well in certain matchups,

903
00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:32,239
Speaker 1: but he's not a great defensive player. Roy so Neil

904
00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:34,680
Speaker 1: there is their best defensive player on the perimeter. He's

905
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:38,200
Speaker 1: a little bit undersized against bigger wings. Rudy or excuse me,

906
00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:40,280
Speaker 1: Rudy Gay is a little bit inconsistent with his effort.

907
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:43,759
Speaker 1: They're not a great defensive team in theory when you

908
00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:48,040
Speaker 1: look at their personnel, but they've got Rudy Gobert, and

909
00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:51,799
Speaker 1: so when you play into their system, they they can

910
00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:54,200
Speaker 1: succeed with you with their elite defensive scheme of just

911
00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,760
Speaker 1: chasing people off the line and funneling towards Rudy Gobert.

912
00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:59,480
Speaker 1: And one of the problems with playing Dwight Howard in

913
00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:01,960
Speaker 1: those minute and the reason why I disagreed with it,

914
00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:05,440
Speaker 1: is like, for instance, we were minus nine, but in

915
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:08,760
Speaker 1: that first shift that he played with the starters Lebron

916
00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:11,160
Speaker 1: and Russ each made to pull up jump shots off

917
00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:14,520
Speaker 1: the dribble, and Avery Bradley made it. Three our first

918
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:18,640
Speaker 1: thirteen points, we're all on threes, four of which we're contested.

919
00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:21,319
Speaker 1: So there we're not on three is for all our

920
00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:24,120
Speaker 1: first thirteen points, we're all on jump shots. Four of

921
00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:26,600
Speaker 1: the five were contested. So my point is is like

922
00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:28,319
Speaker 1: some of that's a little bit of fool's gold. Like

923
00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:31,720
Speaker 1: if two of those miss maybe the Dwight minutes instead

924
00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:34,680
Speaker 1: of being minus nine or minus fourteen, and now we're

925
00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:37,000
Speaker 1: having a different type of conversation. So when when we're

926
00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:39,440
Speaker 1: talking strategy, I'm really curious to look back at this

927
00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:43,000
Speaker 1: game in the lineups, because I also disagreed without going

928
00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:45,880
Speaker 1: with with going without Lebron and Russ at the same time,

929
00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,480
Speaker 1: so because I know they had a little bit of

930
00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:50,360
Speaker 1: success in the first stat just because they were playing

931
00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:53,200
Speaker 1: so much harder than Utah, but then that same lineup

932
00:41:53,239 --> 00:41:56,480
Speaker 1: was an absolute catastrophe in the second half, simply because

933
00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:59,560
Speaker 1: they just don't have any offensive decision making on the floor.

934
00:41:59,640 --> 00:42:01,279
Speaker 1: You're ending a lot on th h T and he's

935
00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:04,000
Speaker 1: just very young and a veteran, a good veteran team

936
00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:06,240
Speaker 1: is gonna make th HD look bad. So I'm curious.

937
00:42:06,239 --> 00:42:08,320
Speaker 1: I'm gonna look at the numbers later tonight or early

938
00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:10,719
Speaker 1: in the morning. But I bet you tonight, in the

939
00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:13,719
Speaker 1: minutes when Dwight was off the floor and when we

940
00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:16,880
Speaker 1: also had at least either Lebron or Russ on the floor,

941
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:21,040
Speaker 1: I bet you we were extremely dominant and that the

942
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,000
Speaker 1: only reason the game was close was because of those

943
00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:26,799
Speaker 1: stretches that I'm referring to. So again, this is a

944
00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:30,200
Speaker 1: sign for optimism, because I know you've described all the

945
00:42:30,239 --> 00:42:32,040
Speaker 1: things that Dwight did great, and I'm not trying to

946
00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:35,920
Speaker 1: undercut that, but in my opinion, our offense faltered in

947
00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:39,759
Speaker 1: those minutes beyond what Dwight does good because in those

948
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:43,120
Speaker 1: minutes we were playing into the Utah Jazz strengths and

949
00:42:43,239 --> 00:42:45,400
Speaker 1: turning ourselves into a jump shooting team, which is not

950
00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:48,919
Speaker 1: what we do really well. But again, like fixing those

951
00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:52,799
Speaker 1: little details, strategically playing Dwight at the right time, strategically

952
00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:57,359
Speaker 1: playing Lebron at the right time, never staggering so incorrectly

953
00:42:57,400 --> 00:42:59,520
Speaker 1: that we have no stars on the floor. If we

954
00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:02,400
Speaker 1: can fix those things in addition to the effort, in

955
00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:05,760
Speaker 1: addition to the modern scheming in addition to this engaged

956
00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:08,720
Speaker 1: two way Lebron. That's when I start to get really excited.

957
00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:11,040
Speaker 1: That's when when you're saying there's a good team in there,

958
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:13,960
Speaker 1: That's what I see is like the good team potential.

959
00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:16,680
Speaker 1: Get rid of some of your own you know, self

960
00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:20,839
Speaker 1: sabotage stuff, and play into your strengths more. That's when

961
00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:24,000
Speaker 1: you can start to see this team be more consistently good. Yeah,

962
00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:26,160
Speaker 1: and the numbers, you know, support your claim here. I'm

963
00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:28,359
Speaker 1: just looking at it, you know, so do I only

964
00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:30,680
Speaker 1: played three minutes you know, where he was on the floor,

965
00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:33,360
Speaker 1: where Gobert wasn't on the floor. So uh that he

966
00:43:33,400 --> 00:43:35,640
Speaker 1: played eighteen minutes, you know, matching up with Golbert. The

967
00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:39,440
Speaker 1: Lakers aren't minus thirty two UM in that in that state. Uh,

968
00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:42,920
Speaker 1: in those minutes, the Lakers had an eighty nine offensive rating.

969
00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:44,319
Speaker 1: But I think, you know, a lot of that was

970
00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:47,080
Speaker 1: the beginning of the third. To me, we just we

971
00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:49,480
Speaker 1: stayed with that starting lineup too long to me, and

972
00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:51,040
Speaker 1: I thought, you know, every I thought we missed a

973
00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:53,480
Speaker 1: lot of open threes. Every badly missed a bunch of

974
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:56,000
Speaker 1: open threes. I thought to start um that quarter, And

975
00:43:56,080 --> 00:43:58,120
Speaker 1: I think that kind of you know, pushed the numbers

976
00:43:58,120 --> 00:43:59,799
Speaker 1: where they were. But it's gonna be a trade off

977
00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:01,759
Speaker 1: all the time. I just think, you know, do I

978
00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:04,160
Speaker 1: have It's just a changeup, right, It's just being able

979
00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:05,759
Speaker 1: to be versatile. It's just to be able to throw

980
00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:08,040
Speaker 1: different looks. So we don't have to play Lebron at

981
00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:09,680
Speaker 1: center of the whole game. We don't have to play

982
00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:11,560
Speaker 1: Dwight at the center of the whole game. We didn't tonight,

983
00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:13,520
Speaker 1: Like we don't have to choose one, right, we don't

984
00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:15,000
Speaker 1: have to be big and we don't have to be small.

985
00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:17,080
Speaker 1: We can kind of move as the game flows. And

986
00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:19,040
Speaker 1: I thought we did that tonight again. That's why I

987
00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:20,920
Speaker 1: think Dwight Howard starting was just it was great for

988
00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:22,759
Speaker 1: Lebron and he didn't have to start the game, you

989
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:25,160
Speaker 1: know already the back line guy um and I thought,

990
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:27,319
Speaker 1: you know, it just kind of limited their attacks and

991
00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:29,480
Speaker 1: he was good and the small ball lineup the Lakers

992
00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:31,279
Speaker 1: killed those where Dwight was on the floor. It was

993
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,040
Speaker 1: a short stint, it was like three or four minutes,

994
00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:35,640
Speaker 1: but we were like a plus twenty in those minutes.

995
00:44:35,680 --> 00:44:38,440
Speaker 1: But like it just like it took away Utah being

996
00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:40,040
Speaker 1: able just attacked the rim, because what do we talk

997
00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:41,920
Speaker 1: about when we went small with the teams? Do they

998
00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:44,000
Speaker 1: just hunt the rim? Right? We saw Dann Box do

999
00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:46,200
Speaker 1: that to us, John Morant do that to us. Um

1000
00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:49,839
Speaker 1: when we played less Denver, Denver just made every open

1001
00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:51,520
Speaker 1: three and we just quit in that game pretty early.

1002
00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:53,440
Speaker 1: But you know, other guards just attacked us when we

1003
00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:55,319
Speaker 1: played small, and I thought having Dwight out there at

1004
00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:58,120
Speaker 1: least limited that just have some changeups, um, have some

1005
00:44:58,239 --> 00:45:00,520
Speaker 1: versatility in the lineup, And that's what I though, Uh, Dwight,

1006
00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:02,520
Speaker 1: you know, the numbers don't match up with him playing well,

1007
00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:04,799
Speaker 1: they support your kind of claim there. I didn't know

1008
00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:06,600
Speaker 1: we got killed that much in those minutes. Um, it

1009
00:45:06,640 --> 00:45:09,040
Speaker 1: didn't feel that way, I guess to me. But but yeah,

1010
00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:10,880
Speaker 1: it's just a changeup that we can kind of go to.

1011
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:12,759
Speaker 1: I think, you know, giving Lebron a little bit of

1012
00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:14,759
Speaker 1: arrest there and obviously when a comes back you can

1013
00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,160
Speaker 1: feel that role full time, which again goes to your

1014
00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:20,000
Speaker 1: optimistic point there. You take Dwight Howard out and you

1015
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:22,440
Speaker 1: put maybe the best defensive player in basketball, Like, what

1016
00:45:22,480 --> 00:45:23,960
Speaker 1: can this team become if if they can kind of

1017
00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:27,760
Speaker 1: build on this So Dwight Lebron James on the court

1018
00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:32,520
Speaker 1: at center without Dwight Howard Tonight plus twenty two, Lebron

1019
00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:35,239
Speaker 1: j Lebron James on court with Dwight Howard at center,

1020
00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:39,680
Speaker 1: minus eleven. We played eighteen point four minutes with Dwight

1021
00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:42,960
Speaker 1: on the floor with Lebron and eighteen point nine with

1022
00:45:43,040 --> 00:45:45,839
Speaker 1: Lebron on and Dwight off. Just just here, and again

1023
00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:48,319
Speaker 1: I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong, and and when it

1024
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:51,760
Speaker 1: comes to single game plus minus two that can be weird.

1025
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:53,799
Speaker 1: It's just a theory. It's a theory about the way

1026
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:56,040
Speaker 1: that I think you should attack. Like Dwight is an

1027
00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:59,640
Speaker 1: awesome backup center because he does so well playing against

1028
00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:02,920
Speaker 1: backup setters right then in playing them. So I like

1029
00:46:03,040 --> 00:46:05,919
Speaker 1: leaning into that one. My last note that I had,

1030
00:46:05,960 --> 00:46:08,279
Speaker 1: and it's ironic because you actually just reminded me of

1031
00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:11,480
Speaker 1: it talking about Denver's three point shooting. You know, everyone

1032
00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:13,640
Speaker 1: was like I saw some people on Twitter going like,

1033
00:46:13,719 --> 00:46:17,120
Speaker 1: oh man, like the Utah Jazz mit some shots, and

1034
00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:19,279
Speaker 1: because I think they went over nine from three to

1035
00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:22,040
Speaker 1: start the start the fourth quarter if I remember correctly.

1036
00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:24,400
Speaker 1: And then in the Denver game, I heard a lot

1037
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:26,279
Speaker 1: of people say like, oh, like, they just made all

1038
00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:29,880
Speaker 1: their shots. You know, this is my biggest disconnect with

1039
00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:34,000
Speaker 1: the analytic community. There is a certain amount of varying

1040
00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:36,760
Speaker 1: outcomes that goes without saying, you know, like, for instance,

1041
00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:39,680
Speaker 1: Steph Curry is randomly having a year where he's shooting

1042
00:46:39,719 --> 00:46:43,080
Speaker 1: poorly when he's wide open. That's I don't really know

1043
00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:45,400
Speaker 1: how to rationalize that. I just think it's random, you know.

1044
00:46:45,440 --> 00:46:47,120
Speaker 1: I don't think it's associated with anything. I think it's

1045
00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:51,160
Speaker 1: just random results. But I'm a big believer in the

1046
00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:53,840
Speaker 1: fact that the defense actually does have a good amount

1047
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:56,520
Speaker 1: of impact on three point shots going in or whether

1048
00:46:56,600 --> 00:46:58,919
Speaker 1: or not they whether or not they go in. And

1049
00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:01,560
Speaker 1: when I watched the Denver game, I saw the Lakers

1050
00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:04,040
Speaker 1: giving up on rotations and giving up a ton of

1051
00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:06,680
Speaker 1: wide open shots. There were some contested ones in there,

1052
00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:09,080
Speaker 1: And whenever there is a contested one, you have a

1053
00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:11,200
Speaker 1: tendency as a basketball fan to be like, oh, man,

1054
00:47:11,280 --> 00:47:13,120
Speaker 1: like that's such bs, I can't believe he made that,

1055
00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:16,000
Speaker 1: And it's like, actually, over the totality of the game,

1056
00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:20,360
Speaker 1: those those contested shot percentages tend to kind of mimic

1057
00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:23,640
Speaker 1: pretty closely with the with the amount of open shots

1058
00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:26,600
Speaker 1: they get because they're directly related to comfort and rhythm.

1059
00:47:26,640 --> 00:47:28,799
Speaker 1: If you let the team get comfortable and make a

1060
00:47:28,840 --> 00:47:32,680
Speaker 1: ton of wide open shots, they're probably going to have

1061
00:47:32,880 --> 00:47:35,719
Speaker 1: the confidence to knock down the big ones later. And

1062
00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:37,920
Speaker 1: the reason why you taught me there were a couple

1063
00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:40,320
Speaker 1: of wide open ones in that fourth quarter that they missed,

1064
00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:42,160
Speaker 1: but a lot of the shots that they took in

1065
00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:47,600
Speaker 1: that fourth quarter where it's like oh, man like like yeah, like, oh,

1066
00:47:47,719 --> 00:47:50,319
Speaker 1: Lebron closed out on Jordan Clarkson and he kind of

1067
00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:53,319
Speaker 1: shot that from like twenty seven feet with Lebron's hand

1068
00:47:53,360 --> 00:47:56,239
Speaker 1: in his face, like that's not a good shot, you know,

1069
00:47:56,440 --> 00:48:00,120
Speaker 1: or like you know, or uh, Donovan Mitchell taking a

1070
00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:04,080
Speaker 1: quick early shot clock three because the Lakers have disrupted

1071
00:48:04,080 --> 00:48:06,359
Speaker 1: his rhythm all night and he's frustrated because he hasn't

1072
00:48:06,360 --> 00:48:08,359
Speaker 1: had a good night and he's just trying to make

1073
00:48:08,440 --> 00:48:11,719
Speaker 1: something happen. It's like, Okay, that's good defense leading to

1074
00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:14,680
Speaker 1: a miss and and you know, like I said, there's

1075
00:48:14,800 --> 00:48:19,040
Speaker 1: some chance there, there's some relying on some luck there

1076
00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:21,320
Speaker 1: that that takes place when it comes to three point shooting.

1077
00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:24,320
Speaker 1: But I think the Lakers, I think the Nuggets shot

1078
00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:26,799
Speaker 1: extremely well from three because the Lakers played a ship

1079
00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:30,000
Speaker 1: defensive game, and I think the Jazz shot poorly from

1080
00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,600
Speaker 1: three because the Lakers played a great defensive game. I

1081
00:48:32,600 --> 00:48:35,239
Speaker 1: think they're directly related. And I think when people try

1082
00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:37,319
Speaker 1: to gloss over that and trying to act as though

1083
00:48:37,360 --> 00:48:40,200
Speaker 1: like the Lakers got lucky on tonight's game or got

1084
00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:43,759
Speaker 1: unlucky against Denver, I think that's just a piss poor attitude.

1085
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:46,799
Speaker 1: And I think it's it's deflecting and it's and it's

1086
00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:50,640
Speaker 1: not taking responsibility for outcomes. And I think that defense

1087
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:53,560
Speaker 1: is absolutely related to it. I think the Lakers, the

1088
00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:56,520
Speaker 1: Lakers earned a poor Utah Jazz shooting night tonight. I

1089
00:48:56,560 --> 00:48:59,440
Speaker 1: firmly believe that absolutely we are you able to rewatch

1090
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:01,000
Speaker 1: the Denver game? And I'm not sure he went back

1091
00:49:01,040 --> 00:49:07,480
Speaker 1: and watched that monstrosity, Okay, but no, no, no, yeah no,

1092
00:49:07,560 --> 00:49:10,680
Speaker 1: I just hate myself. But bones, you know, bones, bones Highland,

1093
00:49:10,760 --> 00:49:13,319
Speaker 1: like he was contested, but not really right that dude

1094
00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:17,120
Speaker 1: was comfortable on night. Utah was absolutely uncomfortable this whole game.

1095
00:49:17,160 --> 00:49:19,440
Speaker 1: Like I felt like every shot they were kind of

1096
00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:20,680
Speaker 1: there was a hand in their face, not just a

1097
00:49:20,719 --> 00:49:22,839
Speaker 1: hand in their face, like a guy sprinting at them,

1098
00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:24,759
Speaker 1: and you know you could see it the passes. I

1099
00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:27,280
Speaker 1: think they turned the ball over Jason like seven times

1100
00:49:27,280 --> 00:49:29,399
Speaker 1: in that first quarter. Like I think, like just because

1101
00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:31,360
Speaker 1: of the switching right and even the jumpers that they

1102
00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:33,560
Speaker 1: shot I thought were all contested. So I'm with you

1103
00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:36,000
Speaker 1: on that. And Utah is probably better than this, right, Like,

1104
00:49:36,040 --> 00:49:37,759
Speaker 1: I'm sure they can play a better game. I still

1105
00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:40,319
Speaker 1: think they're a very good at least regular season team,

1106
00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:44,080
Speaker 1: will see in the playoffs. And we also get Anthony

1107
00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:48,040
Speaker 1: Davis back exactly absolutely, there it goes. And Utah, you

1108
00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:50,359
Speaker 1: know they were missing I guess hasan whiteside, but they

1109
00:49:50,360 --> 00:49:52,120
Speaker 1: were for the most part healthy, right, they had their

1110
00:49:52,160 --> 00:49:54,560
Speaker 1: full full core of of guys that are that are

1111
00:49:54,560 --> 00:49:56,239
Speaker 1: going to play when it matters. So, I mean, this

1112
00:49:56,320 --> 00:49:57,799
Speaker 1: is the biggest win of the year. I don't think

1113
00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:00,040
Speaker 1: it's close. Like this is really quickly into my and

1114
00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:02,440
Speaker 1: he can't remember Jimmy Butler got hurt in the first half,

1115
00:50:02,320 --> 00:50:05,480
Speaker 1: if I remember correctly, yes, exactly. And Cleveland, you know,

1116
00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:06,920
Speaker 1: they were a young team by the time like that

1117
00:50:06,960 --> 00:50:09,600
Speaker 1: on that mobile, I think barely play at any games

1118
00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:11,759
Speaker 1: uh so far during his season. Now, this is the

1119
00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:14,480
Speaker 1: biggest win the year man Utah's legit um, and this

1120
00:50:14,600 --> 00:50:16,200
Speaker 1: is there's stuff to build on this. And you know

1121
00:50:16,239 --> 00:50:18,359
Speaker 1: you can't say this turn the season around when you're

1122
00:50:18,360 --> 00:50:21,239
Speaker 1: five hundred and forty two games in, like you know

1123
00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:23,319
Speaker 1: that that would be kind of that'd be misguided to

1124
00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:25,240
Speaker 1: kind of say that yet. But I think there's stuff

1125
00:50:25,239 --> 00:50:27,719
Speaker 1: to build on. We play Indiana and Orlando next to

1126
00:50:28,040 --> 00:50:30,120
Speaker 1: winnable games like you can. You can win both of

1127
00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:32,200
Speaker 1: those even without a d S. So I think, you know,

1128
00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:34,520
Speaker 1: there's stuff to take from it. Hopefully a D comes

1129
00:50:34,560 --> 00:50:36,320
Speaker 1: back pretty soon on this road trip and then we

1130
00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:37,880
Speaker 1: can kind of build from it. Man, this is an

1131
00:50:37,920 --> 00:50:40,239
Speaker 1: exciting one. I agree. Did you have anything else on

1132
00:50:40,280 --> 00:50:43,000
Speaker 1: your list? I'm finished really quickly. I want to ask you,

1133
00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:44,799
Speaker 1: Am I just seeing things? Or did a Reason move

1134
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:46,719
Speaker 1: a little bit better tonight? Like did he find at

1135
00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:48,600
Speaker 1: least he didn't find both of his legs, but did

1136
00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:50,839
Speaker 1: he find one leg tonight? Like did the right leg

1137
00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:54,239
Speaker 1: kind of you know, arrived to the did the did

1138
00:50:54,280 --> 00:50:56,480
Speaker 1: the right leg arrived to the season, Like I'm watching him,

1139
00:50:56,520 --> 00:50:58,480
Speaker 1: like you know, relocate Russ with driving the pain and

1140
00:50:58,520 --> 00:51:00,719
Speaker 1: I see a Reason sprint to the core to get

1141
00:51:00,719 --> 00:51:02,440
Speaker 1: to get the ball from and shoot the three, Like

1142
00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:05,040
Speaker 1: do you think he arrived from a little bit at least,

1143
00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:06,839
Speaker 1: like maybe one leg arrived, maybe he didn't get both

1144
00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:09,400
Speaker 1: legs back. And I seeing things with that, So I

1145
00:51:09,440 --> 00:51:11,920
Speaker 1: agree with you it was moving better tonight. But that

1146
00:51:11,920 --> 00:51:14,280
Speaker 1: that almost pissed me off a little bit more because

1147
00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:17,880
Speaker 1: you know, Trevor reason just knows better. Man, He's been

1148
00:51:17,920 --> 00:51:21,680
Speaker 1: around the league long enough to know that this team

1149
00:51:21,719 --> 00:51:24,800
Speaker 1: wasn't playing hard enough to win. And don't get me wrong,

1150
00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:26,959
Speaker 1: I think conditioning is part of it. I think all

1151
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:29,960
Speaker 1: that his age, getting into a group, getting into rhythm,

1152
00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:31,440
Speaker 1: I think that's all part of it. So I'm not

1153
00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:35,040
Speaker 1: trying to undercut that by any stretch of the imagination.

1154
00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:39,320
Speaker 1: But Trevor's defensive effort in his first you know whatever

1155
00:51:39,320 --> 00:51:42,560
Speaker 1: it is half dozen games coming back from COVID was

1156
00:51:42,640 --> 00:51:46,840
Speaker 1: so poor, and in him suddenly turning it up a

1157
00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:49,080
Speaker 1: little bit when the rest of the team turns it up,

1158
00:51:49,120 --> 00:51:50,839
Speaker 1: makes me feel like it was a little more him

1159
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:54,279
Speaker 1: and a little less conditioning. So that part's frustrating. But

1160
00:51:54,400 --> 00:51:56,520
Speaker 1: I do, you know, I'm I'm a believer in the

1161
00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:58,839
Speaker 1: Areasa fit. I think I think, I think you know,

1162
00:51:59,080 --> 00:52:02,040
Speaker 1: when this team. If if the idealized version of this

1163
00:52:02,080 --> 00:52:05,880
Speaker 1: team comes to to fruition and they consistently play hard,

1164
00:52:06,200 --> 00:52:08,880
Speaker 1: they lean more into wings, Anthony Davis comes back, and

1165
00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:11,760
Speaker 1: the talent chasm between them and all their opponents goes away.

1166
00:52:12,280 --> 00:52:15,919
Speaker 1: In that universe, I think Trevor Rees is a fantastic fit.

1167
00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:19,719
Speaker 1: But if if the team trends more like they did

1168
00:52:19,719 --> 00:52:22,360
Speaker 1: against Denver and it turns into more of a you know,

1169
00:52:22,400 --> 00:52:25,480
Speaker 1: a ship show, then his lack of athleticism and his

1170
00:52:25,560 --> 00:52:28,359
Speaker 1: age and his lack of enthusiasm could become a like

1171
00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:31,759
Speaker 1: a real negative. But I I definitely notice what you're

1172
00:52:31,760 --> 00:52:35,600
Speaker 1: talking about. Um, I think he I think he helps

1173
00:52:35,640 --> 00:52:38,080
Speaker 1: him a sense that he doesn't make mistakes, and I

1174
00:52:38,120 --> 00:52:40,200
Speaker 1: think he's a good I think he could when he

1175
00:52:40,280 --> 00:52:42,000
Speaker 1: really gets going to be a good kind of like

1176
00:52:42,080 --> 00:52:44,400
Speaker 1: plug in guy, as that fit starter, kind of like

1177
00:52:44,680 --> 00:52:46,719
Speaker 1: Wesley Matthews was for us in a lot of line

1178
00:52:46,800 --> 00:52:48,880
Speaker 1: ups last year. I'd look at him as kind of

1179
00:52:48,920 --> 00:52:50,680
Speaker 1: just like a sixth eight version of that, as long

1180
00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:53,560
Speaker 1: as he plays hard. Um. But yeah, he definitely played

1181
00:52:53,560 --> 00:52:55,120
Speaker 1: harder tonight and I did like that. Did you have

1182
00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:57,120
Speaker 1: anything else on your list? Yeah? Last thing? You know,

1183
00:52:57,160 --> 00:52:59,680
Speaker 1: he was our starting small forward right tonight, and again

1184
00:52:59,719 --> 00:53:02,040
Speaker 1: just kind of feel a little bit into the Optimist Cup.

1185
00:53:02,239 --> 00:53:04,080
Speaker 1: We don't really get a chance to pour into that

1186
00:53:04,080 --> 00:53:05,759
Speaker 1: cup very often, so I'm gonna continue to do it.

1187
00:53:06,000 --> 00:53:08,360
Speaker 1: He was. It was one for eight tonight, one for

1188
00:53:08,440 --> 00:53:10,440
Speaker 1: six from three and twenty seven minutes, So you basically

1189
00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:13,680
Speaker 1: got zero offense out of your small forward um and

1190
00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:16,000
Speaker 1: every badly I think also didn't shoot well, I don't

1191
00:53:16,000 --> 00:53:17,800
Speaker 1: remember what he shot, but and you were able to

1192
00:53:17,840 --> 00:53:19,880
Speaker 1: be a really good U TAK team. So that's just

1193
00:53:20,160 --> 00:53:22,000
Speaker 1: that's the context I want to keep from here. We

1194
00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:24,080
Speaker 1: won this game with our defense, Like you know, we

1195
00:53:24,160 --> 00:53:26,760
Speaker 1: hit a couple of big, tough shots, like you said,

1196
00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:28,359
Speaker 1: a couple of pull up threes in the first quarter,

1197
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:30,360
Speaker 1: But we won this game with our defense, and I

1198
00:53:30,360 --> 00:53:32,360
Speaker 1: want to kind of hammer that, and that's something you

1199
00:53:32,400 --> 00:53:36,200
Speaker 1: can definitely build on even when Anthony Davis, before Anthony

1200
00:53:36,239 --> 00:53:40,399
Speaker 1: Davis comes back, agree there's no possible way to look

1201
00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:43,120
Speaker 1: at this game and not be enthusiastics. Like even if

1202
00:53:43,120 --> 00:53:45,600
Speaker 1: you told me like the Jazz are in the locker room,

1203
00:53:45,680 --> 00:53:48,920
Speaker 1: like knowing in their heads that they gave effort, I'd

1204
00:53:48,960 --> 00:53:52,360
Speaker 1: still be I'd still be thrilled by the outcome, because

1205
00:53:52,440 --> 00:53:55,719
Speaker 1: when you factor in the actual predicament, the Lakers are

1206
00:53:55,719 --> 00:54:02,799
Speaker 1: in with their superstar power forward not available, with their

1207
00:54:02,880 --> 00:54:06,440
Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook trade being mostly uh Like, I think you'd

1208
00:54:06,480 --> 00:54:08,799
Speaker 1: be hard pressed to find someone who's thrilled with the

1209
00:54:08,800 --> 00:54:11,040
Speaker 1: outcome of the Russell Westbrook trade. I mean, I think

1210
00:54:11,239 --> 00:54:13,680
Speaker 1: I think most of us, I think are ranging from

1211
00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:18,160
Speaker 1: either like me, like completely like disappointed and upset about it,

1212
00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:21,680
Speaker 1: to you like not liking it but at least accepting it.

1213
00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:25,680
Speaker 1: You know, like there's those are like the very outcomes there. Well,

1214
00:54:25,719 --> 00:54:27,480
Speaker 1: like when you factor that in and the fact that

1215
00:54:27,480 --> 00:54:30,520
Speaker 1: our our mid level exception guy hasn't played a minute,

1216
00:54:30,560 --> 00:54:33,520
Speaker 1: probably won't play a minute because he had another setback today,

1217
00:54:33,800 --> 00:54:36,319
Speaker 1: Like when you factor all of that in. For us

1218
00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:41,200
Speaker 1: to handle the Utah Jazz on National TV when they

1219
00:54:41,200 --> 00:54:44,360
Speaker 1: were fully healthy the way that we did after giving

1220
00:54:44,480 --> 00:54:47,920
Speaker 1: up the lead and falling behind by ten points, I

1221
00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:51,480
Speaker 1: take it as a huge positive. But yeah, so that's

1222
00:54:51,520 --> 00:54:53,279
Speaker 1: all we offered tonight. Guys. This is gonna be on

1223
00:54:53,360 --> 00:54:56,160
Speaker 1: dash Radio tomorrow morning at seven am Pacific Standard time.

1224
00:54:56,239 --> 00:54:59,080
Speaker 1: Like always, this will also be on our podcast feed

1225
00:54:59,400 --> 00:55:03,600
Speaker 1: here and about thirty minutes. We always appreciate you guys,

1226
00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:05,640
Speaker 1: support and hanging with us. We will be back for

1227
00:55:05,680 --> 00:55:09,399
Speaker 1: a busy week of Lakers basketball on Wednesday. We will

1228
00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:11,120
Speaker 1: see you then. Enjoy the rest of your week guys,

1229
00:55:11,160 --> 00:55:12,359
Speaker 1: and we we can talk to you in a couple of days.

1230
00:55:12,760 --> 00:55:13,400
Speaker 1: Thanks everyone,