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Is it me or has AD not played as good compared to when he was with the pelicans?
**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins
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I understand Jokic isn’t going anywhere but AD was the best player on the court in 2 series going against JJJ & Draymond (who are both top 5 big man defenders).
A big man is only needed to eat regular season minutes to keep AD fresh. In the playoffs, we can’t play another big for more than like 2 shifts a game. We already have spacing issues, it’ll **** all the spacing up if we have a center, AD & Bron playing like 30 minutes a game together (unless the center can shoot).
The options are either a big bruising center for short stints playing like 20 minutes a game or a center that can shoot the 3 and defend the paint playing like 30 minutes a game. I don’t think we have enough bread for Lopez or Reid.
I know Detroit won’t do it but I would try to get Duren on the team. They got Wiseman & Stewart they don’t need a 3rd center
(I would’ve said Stewart but him and Bron got beef 
)
In 2022, Charlotte pulled Mark Williams with the 15th pick & Detroit got Duren with the 13th pick. I haven’t been following as closely as I usually do, but I don’t think there’s that value there for a mid 1st round pick in 2023.
But on a bigger picture: How much of your salary cap are you willing to commit for a center who might only play against Jokic/Adams in the playoffs? The Lakers are at their best in the playoffs when AD is the 5 and he’s surrounded by bigger defenders everywhere. When we won the championship it was because we had size everywhere. KCP/Caruso/Green were all stronger than all of the guards we had this year. Kuzma and Morris were big wings and big contributes as well.
A big man is only needed to eat regular season minutes to keep AD fresh. In the playoffs, we can’t play another big for more than like 2 shifts a game. We already have spacing issues, it’ll **** all the spacing up if we have a center, AD & Bron playing like 30 minutes a game together (unless the center can shoot).
The options are either a big bruising center for short stints playing like 20 minutes a game or a center that can shoot the 3 and defend the paint playing like 30 minutes a game. I don’t think we have enough bread for Lopez or Reid.
I know Detroit won’t do it but I would try to get Duren on the team. They got Wiseman & Stewart they don’t need a 3rd center
(I would’ve said Stewart but him and Bron got beef )In 2022, Charlotte pulled Mark Williams with the 15th pick & Detroit got Duren with the 13th pick. I haven’t been following as closely as I usually do, but I don’t think there’s that value there for a mid 1st round pick in 2023.
But on a bigger picture: How much of your salary cap are you willing to commit for a center who might only play against Jokic/Adams in the playoffs? The Lakers are at their best in the playoffs when AD is the 5 and he’s surrounded by bigger defenders everywhere. When we won the championship it was because we had size everywhere. KCP/Caruso/Green were all stronger than all of the guards we had this year. Kuzma and Morris were big wings and big contributes as well.
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Are you sure? Because the year they won it all, their best three point shooters in the playoffs who hit a ton of timely threes in the postseason were among their worst three point shooters during the regular season.
You can still space the floor with a big front court as evidenced by what Denver is doing now.
You gotta get a two-way big who can shoot AND rebound (aka Turner, Lopez) to start NEXT TO AD,
AND
You get another big/PF who is an athletic scorer and defender a la Aaron Gordon, a la Jerami Grant, to play next to AD while AD plays Center to close games without sacrificing the spacing you speak of.
Best of both worlds. That's how you build a championship roster to MAXIMIZE AD.
Like I said, the Formula is already there.
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Nuggets don’t take a ton of 3s because they don’t need to. Because Jokic controls everything, and they get a lot of their buckets at all levels with a ton of movement.
But to say they are not a good shooting team
Their starting 5 shoots 42, 41, 39, 38 from 3. With Aaron Gordon being the worst at 34.7.
You’re posting stats from the 2019-20 season. It is about to be 2023-24. Anthony Davis has shot 23.8% from 3 since then.
LeBron has missed 120 games. And just had a horrific shooting playoffs from 3.
But to say they are not a good shooting team
Their starting 5 shoots 42, 41, 39, 38 from 3. With Aaron Gordon being the worst at 34.7.
You’re posting stats from the 2019-20 season. It is about to be 2023-24. Anthony Davis has shot 23.8% from 3 since then.
LeBron has missed 120 games. And just had a horrific shooting playoffs from 3.
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AD at the 5 to close games. Sounds like you know where AD should be.
So go get Brook Lopez or Myles Turner. And an Aaron Gordon player.
While also getting Kyrie or Trae Young.
They grow on trees.
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And we wonder why AD has struggled in his shooting.Cause he got nobody to help him on D so now he has to overcompensate for the Lakers lack of competent bigs to help preserve AD, which in turn has caused his shooting to suffer.
And ever since he won the chip, he's been shouldering the load both on D and on O the last couple years, too much responsibility to defend the paint all by his lonesome.
Hmmm, do we ever think maybe juat maybe that's also a reason why AD is always Alternating Days.
Same with Bron. He has to carry more of the load cause he's been surrounded by lackluster players therefore his outside shooting never really improved.
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Miami and Denver are leading the playoffs in 3 point percentage
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Lol smart.
If we had Turner or Lopez at the 5 and AD at the 4 and we playing Denver with 5 min left in the game, you think ima put AD on Jokic and bench Lopez or Myles?
Lopez is attainable. Turner could've been had this year and is still attainable.
Jerami Grant will be available much sooner than you think. There are several other players in the league who fit the mold and are just as attainable.
Yes bro, they grow on trees. Pelinka just needs to go pluck em from the branches
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Some “bigs” we might look at with the 17th pick if we keep it.
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Miami and Denver both have 2-3 solid C's and PF's who keeps defenses honest, and this opens up the outside shooting for those respective ball clubs.
Ntm, Denver, who will be the champion, is 13th out of 16 teams in three point attempts in the playoffs so.....
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Do you actually know who Denver's backup 5 is? Or backup 4?
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Jokic 7-0, Gordon 6'8-6'9" athletic freak who broke the Lakers defense down, MPJ 6'10" athlete who can shoot and provides length in the perimeter, JGreen 6'8" savvy battle tested veteran who doesn't make mistakes and knows Bron's every tendency. Bruce Brown, who is a 6'4" POWER FORWARD and attacks the paint AT WILL. That was all they needed to outlast, outmuscle, and outplay the Lakers.
They played BIgger than the Lakers all series long.
Until Darvin started using the 6'9" Tristan Thompson THE BACKUP in Game 4. And I know for a fact you were watching.
Do you know who AD's back up is? He didn't have one for the first 3 games. Alternating Days got tired and worn down by too many bigs that he never saw against MEM and GSW.
In fact, AD got lucky Steven Adams and Clarke weren't around in round 1 to help JJ get physical with him. Imagine that LOL
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The Lakers and Nuggets are built exactly the same. Only difference is the Nuggets have shooting at all 5 positions. They don't run a backup 5 or 4. Lakers barely had 1 semi reliable shooter in the series. They matched Denver's size. Whichever team shoots a higher percentage from 3 will win the championship
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The big men in the final are
Jokic & Gordon.
MpJr is not a big man. He’s just a tall shooter.
Bam (who is smaller than AD), Zeller & Love. Zeller and Love have given the Heat good Minutes but they’re basically vet Min guys at this point.
Point is that these teams don’t have huge resources dedicated to backup big men.
Jokic & Gordon.
MpJr is not a big man. He’s just a tall shooter.
Bam (who is smaller than AD), Zeller & Love. Zeller and Love have given the Heat good Minutes but they’re basically vet Min guys at this point.
Point is that these teams don’t have huge resources dedicated to backup big men.
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Wanna know why the Lakers shot better from deep against GSW than they did against DEN?
Cause like you said, DEN had the size to match L A. and as we all saw, Denver's size bothered the Lakers so much that it forced LA to exert MORE ENERGY ON BOTH THE OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE ENDS resulting in their being out of rhythm from deep.
So if a team is just as big as you, what do you do? Punish them with more size, punish rhem in the paint, so you win the physicality battle to open up your shooters.
Rocket science bro
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Why do you think Riles went after Love?
Vet minimum or not, he's been an impact big for them all playoffs long both on the floor and in the locker room
The 15 min of Love each game, the 15 min of Dwight each game, allow Bam and AD to be more effective on both ends. That's the point.
The Heat don't get to the Finals or ECF if they don't have Love, guaranteed.
Last year MIA was the #1 seed and lost to Al Horford, Rob Williams, and Daniel Theis. Why? Cause they had PJ Tucker starting next to Bam instead of Love.
One Year later, it's the other way around because Love this year has made a bigger impact than Tucker did against that same Celtic frontcourt.
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the Lakers are not a Kevin Love (he wouldn’t have had anything for a jokic anyway) away from a title. Are you saying you want them to wait until the buyout market or get a vet Min like Zeller (TT probably fits the mold but at least Zeller can score).
I would say trade for Richaun Holmes but he still has 2 years / 27 mil left on his deal
I would say trade for Richaun Holmes but he still has 2 years / 27 mil left on his deal
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sohi 23
I don't care how they do it, trade, buyout market, free agency, etc but the Lakers imo need to get a center, preferably a two-way big who can rebound, be a solid paint presence, and who can keep defenses honest with his shooting.
This imo is their biggest need along with a scoring SG.
AR is a bonafide playmaker. He can run lead guard all day on my team.
Rui is a bonafide scoring big man who has room for improvement in the physicality aspect and imo would be great as 6th man to back up LeBron.
AD is AD but he should be at the 4 if we had a center like Myles or Brook
DLo, Beasley, and Schroder are our weakest links at guard, and why I say our other biggest need is scoring guard who can shoot since Russell, Beasley, and Schroder are all too inconsistent as a scoring/shooting threat. Defenses ain't trippin having to guard those three.
Vando is decent but he is merely a bench player who has major limitations as a starter. He's a one-way player to boot.
Lonnie is a bench player and can't be counted on to be the scoring guard we need to help take the load off of Old Bron's shoulders when it comes to being a primary scoring threat.
This team is still 2 pieces away from being at the top of the NBA.
Lastly, we should sign TT for the vet minimum just so he can be third string center/pf insurance only because he is battle tested, proven, and knows how to play with Bron and can serve as a leader in that locker room for a full season. TT would play the Markieff Morris role.
I like Holmes. Good call but he expensive though. He's got a nice touch on that floater and he plays aggressively. I'd take him in a heartbeat over Wenyen, Vando, or Bamba.
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Don’t have to break the bank to get a serviceable big. Looney 7.5mil/year, Rob Williams and Brooke Lopez 12mil a year. Beasley making more than that as our bench warmer.the Lakers are not a Kevin Love (he wouldn’t have had anything for a jokic anyway) away from a title. Are you saying you want them to wait until the buyout market or get a vet Min like Zeller (TT probably fits the mold but at least Zeller can score).
I would say trade for Richaun Holmes but he still has 2 years / 27 mil left on his deal
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There's a higher chance the Lakers sign Robin Lopez than Brook Lopez.
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darthska
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^ SI SE PUEDE!!!!
