Lakers Offseason: Breaking Down LA’s Offensive Struggles
By Eric Yee
Oct 17, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd speaks during his jersey number retirement ceremony before the game against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
5. Using Jason Kidd’s Nets as a Blueprint
If the Lakers indeed end up going with a starting lineup of Russell-Clarkson-Bryant-Randle-Hibbert, they are similar to Byron Scott’s old Nets teams. Having said that, if the Lakers are going to stick with the Princeton Offense the most viable option for them is to use the 01-03 Nets as a blueprint for how to operate.
In this 2015 production, Jason Kidd will be played by D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle is Kenyon Martin, Jordan Clarkson is Richard Jefferson, and Roy Hibbert is Jason Collins. I wouldn’t dare compare Kobe to Kerry Kittles or Keith Van Horn but that’s the role he may be needed to play. As discussed previously, moving Kobe to small forward not only moves Kobe off ball, allowing for playmaking from the high post, but could reduce the ball watching issue.
Although most frequently compared to James Harden or Stephen Curry, D’Angelo Russell could actually turn out to be a Jason Kidd type player: a pass first point guard, with a terrific IQ, who sees plays before they happen, who is sharp from midrange, can knock down open threes and is a surprisingly good rebounder.
Kidd was effective running both the break and orchestrating in the half court, and Russell has the potential to do the same.
What people fail to realize is that just because you run a certain offense does not mean you can’t get out and run whenever the opportunity presents itself — YouTube Jason Kidd Nets’ highlights to see what I mean.
D’Angelo Russell is most dangerous in the open court but the only way this happens is if the Lakers play hard nose defense on the other end. So while there are obvious problems with the offense, fixing the defense will also prove helpful.
Do you think the Lakers can make the Princeton work?
Let us know in the comments below what offense you would like to see them run.