D’Antoni has traditionally done a good job of plugging and playing guys in all of his coaching stops. His rotation players have mostly enjoyed career seasons under his watch, if not close to it.
To be fair though, one cannot also ignore the fact he has clashed with superstars such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard. Furthermore, he had trouble adapting his philosophy in 2012-13 to his personnel, which resulted in the demotion of Pau Gasol from the starting lineup.
It is widely known around the league that D’Antoni is a non-confrontational coach, and consequently, he will struggle with headstrong players that fail in recognizing or accepting their roles.
This became widely apparent when he discussed Howard’s refusal to accept his role, as Vincent Bonsignore of Los Angeles Daily News shared:
“There was just a lot of conflict, emotionally," D'Antoni said. "People were not settled in their roles. But it's funny because a lot of times players will say 'I don't know my role.' It's not that you don't know it, you just don't accept it.”
On the flip side, give him players that fit within the framework of his system and essentially, D’Antoni will get the best out of them.
This has been particularly obvious in Los Angeles despite the absences of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash due to injuries. This is where the importance of management working with the coaching staff shines through.
Indeed, Mitch Kupchak has given D’Antoni the roster needed to execute his offense. Granted, the Lakers have been inefficient on this end roughly through the first quarter of the 82-game schedule, but the players have produced.
The former Phoenix Suns coach favors pushing the pace and spreading the floor...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers