Does the Offense Need an Adjustment?

The Lakers game versus the Clippers was another ugly game by the Lakers, at least through the first 3 quarters. However, just like in Denver, their superior defense and rebounding made up for any deficiencies on the offensive side of the ball. Then the fourth quarter came, and the Lakers went on a 22-0 run to seal the victory. This win once again shows the greatness of this Lakers team: they played poorly in the first 3 quarters, yet they still blew out the Clippers. There is, however, one major issue that really stood out on the offensive end, which is the way the Lakers ran their half court offense with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the game together.

The Lakers did not look good here, and though they had a long layoff it did not appear that the problem was because of that. The offense was just not running smoothly, which can be attributed to the lack of touches that Gasol had in the game. In order for the starters to work smoothly, Gasol needs to be much more involved, and not just as a low block back to the basket player, which is what he turned into in the second half when he was trying to get more involved. Gasol needs to play a very versatile game, mixing high post play with low post play and some pick and roll with Kobe, as well as work on his man on the wing and look for catch and shoot opportunities on the baseline. Only then will he keep the defense off balance and complement the game of Andrew Bynum. However, that cannot happen by itself. In order for Gasol to maximize his work in the triangle, the players around him are going to have to help him achieve that. The problem is, neither Derek Fisher nor Vladamir Radmanovic have the skills to do so. The only player out of the starters that can work in unison with Gasol is Kobe Bryant.

Therefore, in order to make that happen it might be a good idea to use Bryant as a point forward and Gasol as a wing for stretches in the game. This would put the ball in Kobe's hands in a position to playmake and run the offense and put Gasol in good position to score, as well as take the ball away from Derek Fisher and make him more of a spot up shooter. Bryant as a point forward would help Gasol to get more oppourtunities to make an impact, as well as get some additional easy buckets for Andrew Bynum just because of the attention Bryant would draw at the top of the key as well as the attention that Gasol would have to be given at the wing. All this, and Kobe of course would still have the ability to score the ball at anytime because of his skills at every position on the court. And when the time warrants it, such as during the fourth quarter or any other stretch in the game, Kobe can still go back to the wing spot and put the dagger in the opponents.

Yet Bryant is the most prolific scorer in the game today, so taking him away from his position of greatest strength might seem to some as being ludicrous. However, that doing so during the beginning of the first and third quarters, when Bynum and Gasol are playing together, would not take much away from Bryant's scoring since he usually spends these times trying to get his teammates involved anyways, in addition to the fact that he will always find a way to get his points. But instead of Bryant trying to get his teammates involved from the wing position, it might be more effective for both him and Gasol and therefore the team if he does it from the point forward position where it's easier to conduct the offense.

Of course, this is simply a thought, and there are probably many who would think that this is an overreaction over one sloppy game for a team that has yet to lose a game. Yet, based on what I have seen in the first four games this season, there are some things that I cannot forsee changing. That is, Fisher and Radmanovic being effective in creating and running the offense for others, particularily Gasol. With Bryant as a scorer, Bynum as muscle down low, and Fisher and Radmanovic as shooters first and passers second, I simply do not see a way for Gasol to get his with everyone else getting theirs at the same time. Instead, I see the starting five optimizing their offensive potential as a unit with Bryant playing as point forward and Gasol as wing.

Please feel free to post your own thoughts on this subject in the comments section.