The Lakers are a team that's entertaining to watch, no matter who they're playing against, because if they win it's like 'yeah, Lebron!' But then if they lose, it's like 'how can team with so many great players keep getting their asses bust?' So it's like the Lakers are easy to love yet just as easy to hate on. But so is the price of having so many undeniably great players on a single roster, even if virtually all of them are past their prime.
A couple of nights ago (on 30 December) I had the pleasure or displeasure, depending on one's perspective, of peeping out a good portion of the second half of Lakers versus the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are an up-and-coming squad and even recently, without their star player Morant, went on a major winning streak. They're also an interesting watch, and if a game goes down to the wire Ja "Lean on Me" Morant is very much capable of winning it, even against the best teams in the league.
But damn, they aren't that good. You know what I mean? It shouldn't be a situation if say the Lakers meet the Grizzlies in the Playoffs, most pundits at this point would probably pick Memphis to win.
But as I have stated in the past, the Lakers' problem isn't their age or even their on-the-fly and ever-changing roster construction. The bigger issue seems to be that they can't get their heads out of their own asses.
NO USE OF BIGMEN
Off the top of my head, I would say that Dwight Howard is in better shape than any other NBA player who has been active in the 15 year range. He is also one of the most accomplished bigmen in the history of the sport. Yet versus the Grizzlies for instance, he didn't get any run during the entire fourth quarter.
At the time he was pulled out of the game late in the 3rd, the Lakers were leading and in control. Then they spent the entire 4th quarter playing like goofballs and getting their asses bust. And truth be told, even when AD plays - considering that for whatever reason he's allowed to shoot jumpers more than postup - the Lakers still tend to fail to take advantage of their size. When AD joined Lebron in L.A., I was envisioning them simply destroying opposing squads by taking turns posting up hapless defenders. Less than a handful teams, if any, are prepared to defend the post against AD and Lebron James. But instead, it's more like 'I wanna be like Steph'.
NO SET PLAYS
The way the Lakers play reminds me a lot of schoolyard basketball when there's one player on your squad who is clearly better (and more of a loudmouth) than all the rest. In the case of the Lakers that would be Lebron James or when he sits Russell Westbrook. And how that style of play traditionally goes is that you give the ball to the alpha dawg, and he basically does whatever he wants with it.
Such a modus operandi, considering that opposing teams are usually for the most part equal, does not consistently yield desired results. And that's because the alpha player would most often chuck and as such miss prime opportunities to pass the ball, rather doing so more as a last-second desperation move (if at all). The Lakers don't seem to have this problem as much when Russ, who is more of a natural guard, is controlling the rock as opposed to Lebron. And in the last quarter of that game against the Grizzlies, when Lebron was for the most part playing the point, man did things get ugly.
That is why in 'organized' basketball we have what are called coaches. Coaches serve two very important functions which, when practiced, can make their teams superior to competitors. One is that they actually design plays based on their team's strengths and their opponent's weaknesses. And second, they force their players on offense who do not have the ball in their hands to cut and try to get open. Meanwhile, the Lakers weren't doing either one of those. Lebron was controlling the ball with no clear direction in sight, and his teammates were by and large standing pat while he was doing so. And it's like every team plays like these days.
SO IS THIS EVEN BASKETBALL?
Yes, even if a team plays sloppily with no type of set organization, whether on the playground or in the NBA, that is what this particular sport is called.
A LEBRON IN THE HAND...
But another way of looking at it is what would Lebron gain by bullying around people like Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.? Those dudes are almost young enough to be his children. So maybe he simply isn't interested in over-exerting himself (i.e. posting up) and bully-balling at the moment. But the problem is that last season's Playoffs proved that he can't just flip the switch like that anymore. In other words if AD is unable to play in the upcoming Playoffs, then the Lakers may well be looking at yet another early postseason exit, with this one being even more disappointing than the last.
CONCLUSION: STEPH CURRY HAS DESTROYED ORGANIZED BASKETBALL
Players like Lebron James and Russell Westbrook are the types that are going to do their thing regardless, no matter how old they are. But when you look at the rest of the Lakers' rosters, as stated they are largely relying on players past their prime. That is not a good strategy if, also like the Lakers, your offense consists exclusively of impromptu three-pointers and layups. That's why at the end of the day, it's like Steph is very lowkey as far as generational superstars are concerned. But he is one of only a handful of players - like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson - who actually changed how the game is played in all-around, i.e. the current phenomenon of just about every team chucking up three-pointers at will.
Steph inherited the ability to shoot and was trained to do so, by one of the best shooters in NBA history at that, throughout his entire childhood. Other players in the NBA do not possess such a background, on top of Curry's dribbling ability. So on one hand, it's cool to see Lebron chucking up 3s and even on hitting most of them. Taking into consideration LBJ's age, his body language and the evolution of his playing style, one has to conclude that he simply isn't interested in banging downlow anymore. But you're not Steph, Lebron. And it's like damn, where's Frank Vogel in all of this.
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