Laker Roster: Read and React

Laker's Fan · Franchise Player Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 12850

Much like the triangle, the offense Luke and his staff intend to implement requires players to make successive read and react decisions. More measurable skills such as passing and shooting are often talked about as key elements of the offense, but the ability to correctly read and react is closer to the root of what makes the offense work. Often you will find this is a quality players learn with experience which is why teams running such styles, as opposed to offenses with set plays or ball dominant PGs, often look for vet role players to push the offense further down the execution curve.

The Lakers have added a number of vets this offseason which will undoubtedly help in this endeavor. Examining from among those vets and some of the younger players who have shown the ability to operate effectively in their reads, I would break the roster down into these groups:

Good: Deng, Calderon, Mozgov, Huertas, Nance, Ingram*

Fair with potential: Russell*, Jordan, Zubac*

Poor: Randle*, Lou, Brown, Young, Black

Putting Ingram in the top group is somewhat presumptuous but he has shown such good court awareness and ability to play a well rounded game in both college and the summer league, he looks like he's going to catch on quickly. Likewise, only seeing Zubac in a handful of games makes for some guesswork. But he moves well to open spaces, strikes when he has an advantage and was at no point in Summer league a ball stopper despite being in a role prone to that issue. He also threw some really nice skip passes this past week.

With Russell's exceptional passing talent he has the potential to be an ultimate read/react guy. He's still figuring things out and by position he has the toughest job in this regard. He's a little too quick to the shot right now and will have to learn how to turn a good look into a great one. Maybe I'm putting him lower than he deserves because I see so much potential that it just looks like he has a ways to go. Jordan has an attack mentality but he has shown he doesn't have tunnel vision. Still some growth to be had.

Randle is perhaps the most concerning player in this regard as his bully-ball often leads him to put his head down. MWP tried working with him last year on making reads on the drive that set up the kick which is a good start but far from the full range of reads Randle will have to learn how to make. This is especially important because his greatest utility is being a player of size that can facilitate. He is a good passer and has solid handles. He just needs to improve his reads. Part of me thinks his inability to shoot from distance negatively influences his reads in the same way a player who can't shoot free throws avoids contact on the shot in the paint.

With coaching maybe Brown can become serviceable at read/react but you can see he has the Devean George gene. Young and Lou have blinders and Black, so far hasn't really shown his ability to make reads. Maybe that's just lack of opportunity but right now he is an offensive endpoint.

Since offenses dictate plays teams generally scheme to take some of the read complexity out of defensive reaction. But the best defenses are flexible enough to go deeper into reads. You usually have a defensive 'captain' in the back line calling out the reads because they can see the action in front of them. This is again where Randle can be so important. You can see the template with Draymond who QBs Golden St's defense when he's playing Center.

Last year Scott appeared to do none of this. He junked up the offense and defense to keep Bryant (and himself) from being exposed and our young players suffered for it unfortunately. That's the antitheses of what Luke is going to do this year.
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GoldenThroat · Moderator Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 37474

Excellent thread and insight, LF. Rather than split them up into Good/Fair/Bad as you did, these are how I'd classify each players strengths & weaknesses within a read & react paradigm.

D'Angelo Russell
Strengths: Court vision, cutting, screen setting, spot up shooting, pick & roll play
Weaknesses: Can overdribble, doesn't always use screens properly

Jordan Clarkson
Strengths: Spot up shooting, screen setting, decent cutter, pick & roll play, decent at using off ball screens
Weaknesses: Can over dribble, Court vision

Luol Deng
Strengths: Excellent as the big in a PnR, decent spot up shooter, swings the ball
Weaknesses: So-so ball handler, so-so court vision, below average off ball screen setter

Julius Randle
Strengths: Passing ability, ball handling at the 4 or 5 position
Weaknesses: Spot up shooting, ball stopping, screen setting

Timofey Mozgov
Strengths: Pick & roll play, screen setting
Weaknesses: Passing/court vision, limited range, ball handling

Jose Calderon
Strengths: Passing, spot up shooting, pick & roll play
Weaknesses: Screen setting, using screens

Lou Williams
Strengths: Spot up shooting, pick & roll play, using screens
Weaknesses: Ball stopping, screen setting, court vision

Brandon Ingram
Strengths: Spot up shooting, ability to run either part of pick & roll, doesn't ball stop, passing, setting screens
Weaknesses: Using screens, so-so ball handler.

Larry Nance
Strengths: Screen setting, pick & roll play, unselfish
Weaknesses: Court vision, spot up shooting (but that's improving), so-so ball handler

Tarik Black
Strengths: Pick & roll play, screen setting
Weaknesses: Passing, ball handling, shooting range

Anthony Brown
Strengths: Spot up shooting (allegedly), using screens, sets decent screens
Weaknesses: Ball handling, court vision

Marcelo Huertas
Strengths: Pick & roll play, court vision
Weaknesses: So-so spot up shooting, turnover prone, screen setting, using off ball screens

Ivica Zubac
Strengths: Screen setting, finishing ability around the rim,
Weaknesses: Pick & roll play, shooting range, court vision/making reads

Laker's Fan · Franchise Player Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 12850

Very nice breakdown GT. Much better detail.

In terms of what you described, the two descriptors that stood out for me were "ball stopping" and "court vision". If a guy is a ball stopper that means his reads are too slow to take advantage of the action proceeding their getting the ball. If a player lacks court vision that means they have a limited set of react options. The combination of the two is iso-ball.

To that end, your description of Randle as a ball stopper but not specifically having poor court vision looks spot on. He can execute a read better than he can make it. Lou having both weaknesses (and t/f being an iso player) looks spot on too.
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Austin Reaves keeps his game tight, like Kobe Bryant on game night.

dcastillo · Star Player Joined: 20 May 2009 Posts: 2172

With guys like Lou and Calderon they are what they are so let's use their strengths instead of doing other things with them. I know this offense will ask for a lot of screen setting which neither is good at so using them as spot up shooters and pick and roll is what they should be asked to do.

Omar Little · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:44 pm Post subject:

Omar Little · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:45 pm Post subject:

Laker's Fan · Franchise Player Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 12850

Yeah, if Randle really buys in and learns to make the simple reads early I agree that he's going to have success with that which hopefully leads him to focusing his energy on that learning curve.

It's going to be interesting to see where his head is at this season after missing his rookie campaign, playing under the KFT/ScottmareTM last year and starting a whole new chapter this year. He's up for a possible extension next offseason and I'm guessing he would like the designated player extension. I also found it interesting that while DLO has been selling his leadership narrative hard this offseason, when Randle was asked about team leadership in a sideline interview @ S/L he did not mention Russell. In post game interviews other players like Nance and Ingram did. Just something to monitor. Reads can be influenced by agenda.

I agree that Lou is also an underrated weapon in this offense if he likewise buys in and extends himself within a team concept a little more than he has been asked to so far in his career.
_________________
Austin Reaves keeps his game tight, like Kobe Bryant on game night.

SweetP · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 6:31 pm Post subject:

DrumR · Star Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 1336

Anthony Brown has "allegedly" gotten on GTs bad side lmao

1hu2ren3dui4 · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 6:47 pm Post subject:

Deontae sleep on randle. Guy has skill and is going to be a workhorse.

King Randle · Star Player Joined: 21 Jul 2014 Posts: 7313

I like the way you phrased "much like the triangle" because it's not the triangle but same concepts. I saw a lot of pick n rolls in the summer league and I would imagine that's going to be a big part of the offense.

GoldenThroat · Moderator Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 37474

GoldenThroat · Moderator Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 37474

DrumR · Star Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 1336

Thugnomoe · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 9:13 pm Post subject:

defense is severely lacking with DLO, Clarkson, Randle.

that's their biggest weakness. thank goodness for Zubac. hopefully mozgov can be a rim protector as well.

dao · Star Player Joined: 02 Jan 2013 Posts: 5572

I think Calderon and Lou will benefit tremendously from playing in this system. They can't defend, but offensively this should be one of the very best 2nd unit backcourts in the NBA. Some of our 2nd unit lineups could look like

Calderon
Lou
Ingram
Randle
Nance

Which is damn good offensively. Can this staff get Lou and Calderon to play any semblance of defense against backup guards? That's the key. If so, we should have one of the very best benches in the league imo.

Vic5150 · Star Player Joined: 24 Jun 2005 Posts: 1853

fiendishoc · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 10:21 pm Post subject:

AFireInside619 · Franchise Player Joined: 11 Dec 2015 Posts: 11447

Laker's Fan · Franchise Player Joined: 27 Jun 2002 Posts: 12850

Mitch has really assembled a roster full of multi-positional players.

Russell - both guard spots
Jordan - both guard spots
Brown - guard / wing
Ingram - guard / wing
Deng - wing / forward
Nance - forward / center
Randle - forward / center
Mozgov - Center (but with decent shooting range)
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