LA Lakers Still Need to Play Small Ball Next Season

The Los Angeles Lakers played a ton of small ball last season and were the NBA’s second-fastest team. Neither trait did them very good.

But next season, a less-injured roster appears even more suited to play fast and small, and new coach Byron Scott should consider continuing on with the same strategy deployed by his predecessor, Mike D'Antoni.



Last year, injuries ravaged through Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and several other Lakers, leaving D’Antoni no other choice but to play small and with tempo.

As the 2013-14 season dragged on, Wesley Johnson spent more time at power forward, and three of the team’s four main guards (Jodie Meeks, Kendall Marshall, Kent Bazemore and Nick Young) all spent time on the floor together for various stretches. They were the worst rebounding team in basketball but attempted the second-most three-pointers.

Next year, with Bryant and Nash back, Jeremy Lin in the fold, a gang of fresh-faced power forwards and no true center/rim-protecting presence to be found, the Lakers would be wise to embrace unorthodox, small lineups that create mismatches, allow the team to race up and down the court and put Los Angeles in a position to win by outscoring the opponent.



Defense is sort of a hopeless dream for this particular unit. The frontcourt features Julius Randle, Ryan Kelly, Carlos Boozer, Jordan Hill, Ed Davis and Robert Sacre. Of that group, the best defender is probably Hill, with everyone else ranking from below average to atrociously embarrassing.

Randle is a rookie, so it’s tough to gauge just how effective he’ll be on defense, but he was selected in the lottery because of untapped offensive skills. Kelly is a stretch 4 whose positive impact will only come when Los Angeles has possession. Boozer and Davis are solid rebounders who can do a bit of scoring, too.

The team&rs...

About the Author