When Nash came to Los Angeles there wasn’t any doubt that he would have to sacrifice a part of his game. In fact, with Mike Brown as the coach and Kobe Bryant as his teammate, Nash understood that he would not be handling the ball anywhere near as much as he had while running the show in Phoenix.
This new reality was clearly evident as the Lakers attempted to run the Princeton offense, which often designated Nash as an off ball screener.
But when Brown was fired two weeks into the season and Mike D’Antoni brought in to replace him, it was the natural thinking of everyone that Nash would once again pick up the mantle of being the main offensive catalyst.
A lot has happened since, but four truths have been revealed as to why the Lakers now focus their offensive attack through Bryant.
1. Bryant remains elite. If back-to-back 40-point, 12-assists games on 58 percent (in two wins) doesn’t hammer home this point, the fact Bryant is shooting a career best 47 percent from the field as the L’s third leading scorer, while simultaneously posting a career high assist percentage should be more than convincing.
2. Nash’s inability to consistently break down his defender. Whether it’s the leg he broke earlier this year, or the simple, indisputable reality of being 39 years old, Nash is no longer able to consistently beat most defenders off the dribble. There have been plenty of possessions (especially pre-All-Star break before Howard began setting solid screens) when Nash would dribble around the top of the key and create nothing but a hand grenade shot—usually for Bryant. While Bryant is not nearly the passer that Nash is, he is still an elite ball-handler and penetrator, still capable of getting into the teeth of any defense, which means he should be the one handling the ball the majority of the time.
3. Dwight Howard’s inability to shoot jump shots/freethrows. Part of the reason the Nash/Howard pick-and-roll is not a consistent staple of the Lakers offense is because Howard can’t shoot. He is not a threat for the pick-and-pop, and when he does get to the hoop, he is often fouled. His inability to consistently hit his freethrows, often leaves the Lakers with empty trips on offense, which puts even greater pressure on the defense—the team’s biggest weakness.
4. The fact Nash is the best shooter on the team, by far. Nash is on pace for his fifth 50-40-90 season. If he were to finish with those numbers, it would be the fifth time in his career and would equal the total of the four other men who share this distinction (note: Kevin Durant is on pace to finish at 50-40-90 this season as well).
Based upon these four facts, the Lakers have made adjustments and everyone has fully committed to their roles.
Bryant has fully committed to being a distributor. While he still far and away leads the team in field goal attempts per game, never before has Bryant looked to distribute the ball to the degree he is this season. Case in point, against the Bulls on Sunday, Metta World Peace missed all five of his first half shots behind the arc. He and Bryant even got into an argument following an offensive foul that MWP committed trying to set a pick for Bryant to end the first half. And yet, Bryant continued to get him the ball in the second half—assisting on two of Metta’s three made buckets, both 20-foot jumpers.
Howard has fully committed to being a big man who sets screens and rebounds. The Nash/Howard and Bryant/Howard pick-and-rolls have become more effective thanks to Howard’s increased proclivity of setting hard, solid screens, and doing so over and over even if he’s not getting the ball as a result. Ironically, this has resulted in him getting the ball more. Over the last three games, Howard has averaged 15 shots per, by far the highest total he’s had over a three-game stretch during his Lakers tenure. Some of that is increased activity on the offensive glass, but most of it is coming because he’s setting better screens.
Which brings us to Nash, who has fully committed to scoring. In fact, there have been stretches of games where Nash has gone on scoring binges—necessary binges I might add. Against the Bulls, he keyed a 21-7 third-quarter run when he scored 10 of his 16 points. And while nobody talked about it (thanks to Bryant’s masterful performance), Nash hit some of the biggest shots of the game against Toronto on Friday. He nailed a big three pointer in the fourth to close the deficit to 99-103. He also hit, perhaps the biggest three of the night (after Bryant’s game-tying three) in overtime coming out of the Lakers timeout, with the team down 112-115 with only 49 seconds left. Nash doesn’t hit that shot, and the Lakers probably give away an epic comeback.
The beauty is how all three have committed to doing certain things and have benefitted the offense as a result.
Bryant’s ability to get into the defense and draw doubles and his continued persistence in swinging the ball out to shooters has opened up scoring opportunities for Nash. The very threat of Nash shooting the ball puts the defense on its heels. With the defense scrambling, Nash has been attacking the middle, and either scoring with one of his patented off balance mid-range shots, or reverted to what he used to do best by finding an open man.
Likewise, Howard’s picks provide a longer window for Nash to make something happen when he is handling the ball. Nash is now taking advantage by looking to score instead of distribute. He has aggressively been attacking the defense and looking to get his own shot. Typically, smart defenses have been going under Howard’s picks (or right around them when he was setting soft ones) and clogging up the paint to make life hard on Howard if and when he got the ball. But with Nash consistently taking and making his shots—especially at such a killer percentage—defenses are now forced to make a choice.
Nash is fully exploiting whatever choice the defense makes.
As a result, the Lakers have looked much more cohesive offensively. The matter of defense remains the team's biggest weakness, and is the reason the Purple and Gold don't really have a realistic shot of advancing past the second round this season.
Based upon these four facts, the Lakers have made adjustments and everyone has fully committed to their roles.
Bryant has fully committed to being a distributor. While he still far and away leads the team in field goal attempts per game, never before has Bryant looked to distribute the ball to the degree he is this season. Case in point, against the Bulls on Sunday, Metta World Peace missed all five of his first half shots behind the arc. He and Bryant even got into an argument following an offensive foul that MWP committed trying to set a pick for Bryant to end the first half. And yet, Bryant continued to get him the ball in the second half—assisting on two of Metta’s three made buckets, both 20-foot jumpers.
Howard has fully committed to being a big man who sets screens and rebounds. The Nash/Howard and Bryant/Howard pick-and-rolls have become more effective thanks to Howard’s increased proclivity of setting hard, solid screens, and doing so over and over even if he’s not getting the ball as a result. Ironically, this has resulted in him getting the ball more. Over the last three games, Howard has averaged 15 shots per, by far the highest total he’s had over a three-game stretch during his Lakers tenure. Some of that is increased activity on the offensive glass, but most of it is coming because he’s setting better screens.
Which brings us to Nash, who has fully committed to scoring. In fact, there have been stretches of games where Nash has gone on scoring binges—necessary binges I might add. Against the Bulls, he keyed a 21-7 third-quarter run when he scored 10 of his 16 points. And while nobody talked about it (thanks to Bryant’s masterful performance), Nash hit some of the biggest shots of the game against Toronto on Friday. He nailed a big three pointer in the fourth to close the deficit to 99-103. He also hit, perhaps the biggest three of the night (after Bryant’s game-tying three) in overtime coming out of the Lakers timeout, with the team down 112-115 with only 49 seconds left. Nash doesn’t hit that shot, and the Lakers probably give away an epic comeback.
The beauty is how all three have committed to doing certain things and have benefitted the offense as a result.
Bryant’s ability to get into the defense and draw doubles and his continued persistence in swinging the ball out to shooters has opened up scoring opportunities for Nash. The very threat of Nash shooting the ball puts the defense on its heels. With the defense scrambling, Nash has been attacking the middle, and either scoring with one of his patented off balance mid-range shots, or reverted to what he used to do best by finding an open man.
Likewise, Howard’s picks provide a longer window for Nash to make something happen when he is handling the ball. Nash is now taking advantage by looking to score instead of distribute. He has aggressively been attacking the defense and looking to get his own shot. Typically, smart defenses have been going under Howard’s picks (or right around them when he was setting soft ones) and clogging up the paint to make life hard on Howard if and when he got the ball. But with Nash consistently taking and making his shots—especially at such a killer percentage—defenses are now forced to make a choice.
Nash is fully exploiting whatever choice the defense makes.
As a result, the Lakers have looked much more cohesive offensively. The matter of defense remains the team's biggest weakness, and is the reason the Purple and Gold don't really have a realistic shot of advancing past the second round this season.
For all D'Antoni has augmented of himself, his philosophy, and the Lakers offense, he remains the wrong coach for this team—ironically, because of Nash.
The Lakers need a coach, much like Tom Thibodeau, who is able to maximize lesser talents into a collective defense unit in order to cover for weaker defenders. Nash, for all of his offensive brilliance, remains the weak link on the defensive end.
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