With Nash returning and with the Lakers seemingly getting things straightened out now, the question has to be asked: How valuable is Steve Nash to this team?
It's quite clear that Mike D'Antoni's offense is dependent on a true point guard. We obviously saw that in Phoenix, and we witnessed glimpses of that in New York during the "Linsanity" craze. As history has shown, without a true point guard, D'Antoni's system fails. But when the right player comes along, he fills nearly every missing gap of the system (except the defense).
With Nash's return, the Lakers ran more often, they got easier looks at the basket, and they got much-needed clutch jumpers. Just about all of the missing puzzle pieces were there. And that's where the intrigue lies.
Nash is essentially the key that the Lakers have searched for since they hired Mike D'Antoni. That's a kind of value that not even Kobe Bryant provided for his team in the first quarter of the season.
Despite the fact that Bryant is leading the league in scoring and is having his best statistical year since his own MVP season in 2008, the fact of the matter is that the wins never showed up during Nash's absence.
With Nash, there's a lot more potential to earn victories since he addresses most of the issues the Lakers are having.
For instance, with Nash in the lineup, the offense runs more smoothly: no more stagnant plays and insecure decision making by the players. Secondly, with Nash, the Lakers have the best free-throw shooter in the league, w...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
