Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 8518 Location: Left coast
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 4:35 pm Post subject:
ainsley wrote:
Is it just me or does Clarkson look way quicker/faster than he did last year?
It's been said that he's more explosive. That could mean 1 or both of him jumping higher, or running faster/being quicker. I saw Westbrook in college and he wasn't as quick with his 1st step and he didn't jump nearly as high. If a guy trains himself you'll see it and I've seen enough highlights telling me Clarkson really is headed toward being a Westbrook type player, probably with a better shot at an early age.
Is it just me or does Clarkson look way quicker/faster than he did last year?
definitely elite in athleticism.
hopefully we can enhance russell's athleticism too. he couldn't drive past anyone in that clip and his shots were bricking
nance's activity was impressive. he needs to emulate draymond by improving his ball handling and 3pt.
randle was okay. faster and more explosive i admit. but i wasn't blown away unlike watching aaron gordon or myles turner.
anthony brown was disappointing. dude seemed lost and his ball handling was very very weak. i'm not sure whether he is even better than wes johnson at this stage, considering wes could jump, grab rebound, defend a little, and at least hit the 2 steps jump shot
Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 8518 Location: Left coast
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 4:50 pm Post subject: Re: Finally Something to be Excited about
LakerDYnasty72 wrote:
lakersboy wrote:
LakerDYnasty72 wrote:
lakersboy wrote:
oldlakerfan wrote:
We finally have some youth to cheer for and from the looks of it there is a good chance that we will get 3+ impact players.
Clarkson: All League Rookie team, well rounded game, very athletic, can play 3 positions and seems to have a good head on his shoulders.
Russell: Boy this guy seems like he is going to be a star. Mitch must have been really stoked about his potential to pass on Oakafor. I trust Mitch on this one. Can play 2 positions and great passer and shooter.
Randle: In great shape, a beast, may turn out to be the best player taken in the draft. Can play at least 2 positions and may turn out to be a dominate player.
3 potential stars. Let them establish themselves and sign a few max players and watch out we are back in they dynasty game.
Black, Upshaw, Nance, Brown all see like they can develop into solid role players and all seem like good guys, yes even Upshaw seems like he has matured and is ready to work hard.
With our youth we have inside/outside game, some potentially really good defensive players, speed and power and even some leadership with Russell.
We may not be great next year but it will be great to watch these guys grow. Finally something to cheer for and hope for the future.
Clarkson said the Lakers will surprise people this year. We haven't seen their practices, but he has. He played with Boozer, Young, Johnson, Sacre, Kelly, WEllington, et al. He's saying that just from watching fellow rookies & 2nd year guy Black. Imagine what happens when their chemistry starts to gel with Kobe, Hibbert, and whatever other solid guys join them.
What excites me is that normally a team has 1 or 2 new guys who make a squad from the spl. This spl team has 4 rookies & 3 sophomores who will probably be on the team. 3 of them should be solid players, if not STARS out of the gate. Another 1 could be with a year or 2 development, and the rest could be solid contributors depending on how they're being used. I wasn't even this excited when the Lakers used the #1 and 14 pick to draft Magic and UCLA shooting expert, Brad Holland in '79. I was nearly this excited when they used #7, 15, & 22 plus 3rd rd pick to draft Kenny Carr, Brad Davis, Norm Nixon, & James Edwards, and then brought in Ernie Digregorio and Lou Hudson. 1977. I saw them practice and was blown away by Nixon's quickness. Imo, this is the best class of rookies the Lakers have ever had and that's why Mitch went against (at least so far) his claim that they don't plan to bring all these new guys into the season. This draft could render him a genius.
I remember that like yesterday. I remember Carr was a physical stud who use to bully his way around in college. Got to the pros and couldn't bully the men, and didn't have an outside to compensate. Norm Nixon was the last, and the best, of the first picks that year.
Btw, Carr was selected 6th not 7th.
Interesting memories. Re: #6 pick, that was Walter Davis who went to the Suns. For years I lamented that the Lakers should have tried to use a couple of picks to get him but he was gone by the 7th pick.
You know Walter went #5 in that draft right? Davis-5 Carr-6
I stand corrected. It's interesting that I remember most of those events like they were yesterday too. I remember Chick saying they had 3 picks and somehow it's stuck in my head that the highest was #7, but it was actually # 6 as you said. I wonder if it's because he wore #7 at one point. Hmmm.
Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 8518 Location: Left coast
Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 5:28 pm Post subject:
22 wrote:
Quote:
6 mins of 5 on 5 scrimmage:
Coach Scott's impressions so far (Julius, D'Angelo, Jordan, Upshaw):
Latest from Laker Nation.
Gonna need some GT analysis on the scrimmage.
Randle, Clarkson, Nance looked good from the clips they showed
Nobody outside of L.A. is talking about it now but the Lakers really got something in Nance Jr. They'll be talking about it when he jbegins umping over guys backs and slamming put backs.
I'm not worried about any of the players. It looked like All-Star game defense out there. As for shots being off, It could be after a lot of running because most shots didn't look fresh. Coaches are trying to build their legs for summer leagues.
Tarik Black: “Tarik is a great leader. Tarik is vocal. Tarik is someone who, in the right way, challenges his teammates. In the right way, he challenges the staff. He asks excellent questions. He has a brilliant mind. He has the ability to be rugged on the inside and throw people around in the paint, and he can also run. When it’s time to be a tow truck, he can be a tow truck. When it’s time to be a Ferrari, he can be a Ferrari. And the biggest thing is he cleans up every rebound. Tarik’s outside shot continues to develop every day. He can shoot and make the jump hook with either hand.”
Anthony Brown: “Anthony Brown is an excellent spot-up shooter, very locked in and aware of exactly what is trying to be accomplished on offense and on defense. Anthony can finish at the rim. Anthony is a tremendous defender. I believe Anthony can defend twos, threes and some four-men.”
Jabari Brown: “Jabari Brown is a tremendous shooter. He’s a physically imposing player, and he’ s a guy who has the unique ability to drive so hard to the basket that the defense is forced to foul him. Jabari brings a level of toughness. Being from Oakland, there’s a level of work ethic. There’s a level of toughness. There’s a level of leadership that comes with that.”
Dwight Buycks: “Dwight has been gone for the Summer League thus far, but I know Dwight because he was on our team last year. Dwight is an explosive scorer. He can hit the open man. He has a very nice jump shot. Dwight went through a personal loss, and he’s been attending a funeral. So we grieve with him, we support him and we’re excited to get him back on the team.”
Jordan Clarkson: “The level of work that Jordan has put in over this last year is absolutely incredible, and it’s paying dividends. Monday after practice, he stayed late and would not leave the court until he finished his shooting progression. His legs were dead. That type of meticulous hunger to improve is something that has taken Jordan Clarkson to the level that he is right now.”
Will Davis II: “Will Davis is a smart player, a runner, someone who has a true go-to shot in his jump hook — and we saw that already in various practice sessions. When you teach Will something, he learns it the first time, and he is extremely coachable. Will battles inside in the paint. Will is vocal on defense, and yet he’s not a flamboyant person or player. He lets his play do the talking.”
Tony Mitchell: “Tony oozes confidence. Tony is someone who has excellent range on his shot. He can nail the 3. He can put the ball down. And he’s a worker. Anytime that you’ve spent time in the D-League or have become the MVP of a European league, there’s a presence there that’s a love and passion for the game to travel overseas.”
Xavier Munford: “A silent assassin. Xavier at the point guard can pull up and nail a 3 off the dribble. He can take the ball inside using the Eurostep and a variety of different finishes: high off the glass, spinning the ball different ways. Xavier is someone who can organize a team, lead a team and get everyone in the right position.”
Larry Nance, Jr.: “Larry Nance is always trying to get better. He’s always asking vocal questions to the staff and to Byron (Scott) to better understand how he can expand his game. He attacks the game with a ferocity and with an explosiveness. He’s a very capable shooter. If anything, I would like to see him expand and use his jump shot even more, because he’s an excellent shooter.”
Julius Randle: “Julius Randle has done a great job of being consistent over the summer. Last year at this time in the Summer League scenario, he wasn’t even practicing with the team, and that was because there was a contract situation that had not yet been finalized. Where Julius is right now today compared to last year is night and day. The fans are gonna be really excited to see how he has changed his body. He’s lost about 15 pounds.
"... And the thing that I also like that Julius has done a good job of is being an extension of Byron Scott on the court. So Julius is now telling guys where to go, helping guys with defensive rotations, because he’s a really smart player and has that ability to see what’s happening on the court and then communicate it to his teammate. Every player that plays the game of basketball is different. Some players are always communicating, but they’re communicating the wrong things or they may not know the defensive scheme. Or other players know it, but they don’t say it. So it’s nice that Julius knows it (and) he’s vocal enough to say it.”
D’Angelo Russell: “So far what I can tell people about D’Angelo Russell is that he has an unbelievable gift to pass the basketball. I think that, as he plays more and more in the Summer League and NBA level, that gift will continue to expand and grow and flourish. Every great point guard does it in a different way. Magic Johnson had the one-handed passes and the no-look passes going. D’Angelo sees angles. He sees where defenses are moving, and then he’s able to exploit the rotations. D’Angelo loves to get people wide-open layups, wide-open dunks and wide-open 3-point shots. We’ve seen that.
"His mid-range jumper is very good. He hits some 3’s. Anytime a college player comes up to the NBA, they have to adjust from a college 3-point line, which is a little closer than an NBA 3-point line, and he’s doing a nice job about that. I think the fans are going to be excited about D’Angelo. I think D’Angelo himself will be excited to get out there and start integrating himself at this level.”
Robert Upshaw: “Robert Upshaw is a defensive presence. Robert Upshaw has surprising touch in terms of the mid-range. He’s got a nice jump hook over his left shoulder. He has the ability to duck into the paint and score with either hand. Robert could impact and change a game without even taking a shot, (but) with his defensive prowess. I think Robert’s timing and his attention to detail in terms of defensive rotations allow him to do that.”
Jordan Clarkson: “The level of work that Jordan has put in over this last year is absolutely incredible, and it’s paying dividends. Monday after practice, he stayed late and would not leave the court until he finished his shooting progression. His legs were dead. That type of meticulous hunger to improve is something that has taken Jordan Clarkson to the level that he is right now.”
Jordan Clarkson: “The level of work that Jordan has put in over this last year is absolutely incredible, and it’s paying dividends. Monday after practice, he stayed late and would not leave the court until he finished his shooting progression. His legs were dead. That type of meticulous hunger to improve is something that has taken Jordan Clarkson to the level that he is right now.”
Tarik Black: “Tarik is a great leader. Tarik is vocal. Tarik is someone who, in the right way, challenges his teammates. In the right way, he challenges the staff. He asks excellent questions. He has a brilliant mind. He has the ability to be rugged on the inside and throw people around in the paint, and he can also run. When it’s time to be a tow truck, he can be a tow truck. When it’s time to be a Ferrari, he can be a Ferrari. And the biggest thing is he cleans up every rebound. Tarik’s outside shot continues to develop every day. He can shoot and make the jump hook with either hand.”
Mark loves him some Tarik Black. Hopefully he continues to get lots of PT this year. And hopefully the Lakers can hang on to him if he does well.
I love our young players. I just wish they can all stay healthy, improve and hopefully win multiple championships together. Tarik, JC, JR, Jabari, now Nance, ABrown and Russ. I hope they all wear the purp and gold for a long long time.
Joined: 30 Nov 2006 Posts: 33474 Location: Long Beach, California
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 12:45 pm Post subject:
Hector the Pup wrote:
Madsen's comments read like something that an elementary school teacher or a camp counselor would write.
I was searching for a negative comment in there... when half the players he is talking about are D-league level talents and he has no construct criticism to offer, it doesn't make the remainder of his analysis too credible either. _________________ LakersGround's Terms of Service
If I could give one bit of advice to our young players, it's "move the ball." We have several guys that feel like it's their responsibility to break their man down and get to the basket. They'd be well served to keep it moving. The attack opportunities will be obvious. My biggest offensive concern on this team is it's passing ability. And Byron's sets don't help.
If I could give one bit of advice to our young players, it's "move the ball." We have several guys that feel like it's their responsibility to break their man down and get to the basket. They'd be well served to keep it moving. The attack opportunities will be obvious. My biggest offensive concern on this team is it's passing ability. And Byron's sets don't help.
I agree.
Whatever offense that was (bastardized Princeton with Mad Dog chew marks?) needs to be shelved come the regular season.
It was almost the opposite of what the Spurs or other good teams do and wasn't effective even against inferior summer league competition.
Guys like Clarkson and Jabari Brown need to learn how to mix a pass in once in a while. _________________ Love, Laker Lanny
If I could give one bit of advice to our young players, it's "move the ball." We have several guys that feel like it's their responsibility to break their man down and get to the basket. They'd be well served to keep it moving. The attack opportunities will be obvious. My biggest offensive concern on this team is it's passing ability. And Byron's sets don't help.
I agree.
Whatever offense that was (bastardized Princeton with Mad Dog chew marks?) needs to be shelved come the regular season.
It was almost the opposite of what the Spurs or other good teams do and wasn't effective even against inferior summer league competition.
Guys like Clarkson and Jabari Brown need to learn how to mix a pass in once in a while.
"bastardized Princeton with Mad Dog chew marks".....that was too funny!!
I agree Clarkson and JB need to pass the ball to others sometimes. The most unselfish player on the floor is Russell. So glad he ended with a glimpse of what he can be for us. His teammates need to make more of the layups from his passes (especially JC).
I believe we have a great group of young guys. It'll be exciting to see them grow together into players of our future!!
I must admit I am concerned with BS and the Princeton. Hoping either he scraps it or we scrap him.
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Randle needs to remember to box out.
