One of Rob Pelinka's big emphases this offseason, as the Los Angeles Lakers pivot away from LeBron James and focus on Luka Doncic, was finding guys with three specific skills. Those three skills were the ability to dribble, pass, and shoot the ball.
Some fans may have wanted the Lakers to pursue players with a defense-first style of play because of the defensive downsides a duo of Luka and Austin Reaves can have. However, Pelinka had a plan and followed through.
In a recent episode of the Numbers on the Board podcast, Pierre Andresen put into perspective why this was a good decision by the Lakers front office.
“Everybody doing basketball-related coaching or team organizing, I think, should have that on their list. You want a skill set of basketball players who should be able to dribble, pass, and shoot ... I think the [New York] Knicks won a championship because they had a lot of that.”
Andresen is one of the most respected voices in the new NBA media landscape, growing his brand individually and with his co-hosts at the NOTB podcast for 10 years. His thoughts on the Lakers' approach point to exactly why LA’s offseason was a massive step in the right direction toward winning an NBA title in the Luka era.
The Lakers' summer continues to be underrated
With the way the game is going, the more players you can have that can put the ball on the floor and create, the better. That is still true even if certain guys aren’t the strongest as individual defenders.
When you look at what made the Knicks such a special team in their run to the NBA Finals, a big part was the versatility that Mike Brown had to work with offensively. Obviously, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns stand out as the main drivers of self-creation and offense, but that roster was full of guys who could dribble, pass, and shoot.
Whether it was starters like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, or bench pieces like Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, and Jordan Clarkson, they all fit that mold.
Andresen even alluded to the fact that just the ability to put the ball on the floor flat-out and create offense is the most important part of being a dribble, pass, and shoot player. He also noted that Hart is a streaky shooter but can make a play with the ball because he’s a threat in a lot of different situations.
This is why additions like Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, and even Ziaire Williams feel so underrated. All four are dynamic and can either make something happen with the ball or knock down an outside jumper. Around Luka, that's exactly what LA needs. It can help diversify JJ Redick's offense and allow so much more creativity than this team had last summer.
I’m not trying to say that these additions, on top of adding a center like Walker Kessler, make the Lakers perfect. But in a league that keeps showing that teams with as many creators as possible are the ones competing for championships, the Lakers' offseason feels grossly underrated.
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