Three Things the Lakers Can Learn From the Undefeated Warriors
By Eric Yee
Nov 16, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward
(30) makes a pass in front of Phoenix Suns center
(4) in second half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Lakers 120-101. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Reduce Ball Stopping Isolations
The Warriors may very well be the most unselfish team in the league and the Lakers should take notes.
When asked if he’d ever want to branch out and lead his own team, James Harden style, Klay Thompson replied, “Nah. Winning is too much fun.”
Yes, Stephen Curry often puts on a dribbling showcase, proceeding to nail wide open jump shots, but these are just the plays that make the highlights.
The true beauty of the Warriors offense is how free flowing it is and how quickly the ball moves.
When Stephen Curry turns “gravity mode” on and is double teamed, he tends to make the easy pass and his teammates proceed to do the same until an easy bucket is had. You hardly see the Warriors taking contested shots, or looking flustered on the offensive side of the floor. They are poised and prepared at every turn.
If you take away one option, they have three counters waiting for you. Just watch the video above if you remain unconvinced.
For those of you who’d argue that the Warriors offense is far too complex for the Lakers’ current personnel, just look at what the Celtics were able to achieve with a simple drive and dish, motion offense.
A better argument would be, not that it is too difficult, but that the Lakers have too many ball dominant players: Julius Randle, Kobe Bryant, Lou Williams, Nick Young.
Nov 20, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers obviously don’t have the personnel to do exactly what the Warriors do, but any team can benefit by simply moving the ball.
The Warriors’ unselfishness even translates to running fast breaks. If you watch the Dubs, one thing that stands out is how on almost every fast break the rebounder looks to get the ball into the hands of Stephen Curry, or Shaun Livingston if he’s in. Traditionally, this is how fast breaks are supposed to be run, and for good reason.
On the contrary, nearly every Lakers player wants to be a point guard, with Julius Randle and Lou Williams often running the break.
Instead, the Lakers would be wise to get the ball into the hands of D’Angelo Russell, or Marcelo Huertas, on every fast break.
At this point in his career, even Jordan Clarkson isn’t the best option to run the break, as he still hasn’t figured out how to slow down his play speed.
While there are plenty of things that the Lakers could learn from the Golden State Warriors, these are three relatively simple concepts that they could implement right away.
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What other things do you think the Lakers should adopt from the Golden State Warriors? Let us know in the comments below, there’s plenty!