Episode 20: Lakers/Celtics Breakdown, Plus All Things Lakers With Jason Maples @JJMaples_MST

so it's good to be on with you live. It's different, it's different, but but yeah, and before we get started, I just wanted to say congratulations on everything going on with your podcast. Honestly, man, you got you and Kings are doing great. I know you see all the numbers and stats and stuff. I'm sure you're liking what you're seeing because it seems like it's doing great man, And I think it's awesome and I wish you got is all the success in the world. Yeah, man, thank you

for just you know, Kis definitely brings another element. I think I think that was probably kind of just kind of bounce off each other. I think it's just just a good team. Yeah, we got we got some new announced coming soon too, so you know, stay tuned to look out for that. We got some big to announced coming up, so looking forward to let y'all know about that. I appreciate you. But every time I see you, probably at the time I stop what I'm doing and check

it out and throw the headphones on. So be here a part of it for once. Yeah, So, guys, that is the temple of hoop podcasts. You all probably already listened to it, but if you haven't, that's where you can find it. But yeah, the best part about it is you guys both know what you're talking about and you can have some fun while also knowing what you're talking about. And uh, I mean for you in particular, I mean this is literally your job. I mean you

you work in the business of basketball. You know what you're talking about. And uh, I think people should listen when you're talking. But co COVID killing us, but it's fun. I got more time to NBA basketball now COVID killing us. But I'm yeah, I hear you, man, I hear you. I feel I feel bad for these kids because like I would be pulling my hair out if I was in college and I was missing out on games for

something like this ugly anyway. All Right, So we're gonna talk a lot about tonight's game, obviously, but there are also a couple of things that, uh, things that I've been beating the drum on all season long that I'm really interested to hear your opinion on. We've kind of bounced a little bit on Twitter about them, but I want to hear a little bit more in depth your opinion on. But I want to start with tonight's game. Obviously.

It's crazy, Uh, the the Celtics only had eleven points in the fourth quarter through ten and a half minutes. The Lakers seemingly put it away with a couple of big Lebron threes in a Dennis shrewder and one, and then they go really cold, a couple of sloppy mistakes Lebron and they d each have a turnover, and Tatum just absolutely takes over there down down the stretch and almost almost steals the game. So obviously a lot a lot of good Both teams are playing extremely hard. It

had kind of a playoff feel to it. No one was in a weird like back to back or anything like that. It was a really really good game. To get a feel for both teams. What what was your initial takeaway in the positive respect to what you saw from the Lakers tonight. May think me they got it out of rope there in the thick of this long road trip and they got it out of win after an ugly loss. And I think that, um, just to perseverance that this the Lakers team. They're they're a very

tough team. I think that that showed tonight that's just very tough in general. They didn't panic when Boston made

their run. Um kind of fell apoint late with some of the turnovers, but like I said, man, just very heavy and tough team like on that even on that last plaster the turn after the turnover, Caruso has to wear with all to sprint back instead of panicking and just rapped the final play and at least to Kimba taking an off balance shot that I was my heart stopped when he shot at because that's a shot he's made for everybody. Caruso being able to disrupt the fast

break to keep from getting easy one. Just stuff like that just part of a champion. Pretty much as tacky as it sounds, that's pretty much what it was. Yeah, Jared Dudley's tweeted after the game he said that was their best win of the season, and which you kind of agree with it, because you know, when it comes to winning on the road, there's literally only one thing that matters, and it's getting in the bus and getting out of there with the w. Literally nothing else matters.

It doesn't matter what it looks like, it doesn't matter who played well. It's just it's extremely difficult to win on the road, especially against a really good team, especially at the end of a long road trip like this. And and the truth of the matter is like the

Lakers were the better team tonight. The margin didn't appear to be uh that type of margin because of what Tatum did at the end and because of some sloppiness, but the Lakers showed a lot of good tonight and and and all you have to do is look back and like you said, like you have to make these little plays in these rock fight type of games in

order to get a win. And you know, even in the Philadelphia game, it's a really really similar sequence, not the craziness leading up to it, but you know, the third best player on the other team, with what you would consider to be a mismatch given the other players on the floor, because the Lakers had Crusoe and Davis and Lebron and attacking that matchup getting to a little you know, shoulder in the chest step back jump shot. Tobias made it over the contest and and Kimba missed it.

But the Lakers made the plays that they needed to do to win both games. It's just you know, maker, miss league. I just want to say that maker, maker, miss league. That's nothing. That's all it comes down to. But they they're on the road against what I team. Uh, I think the Billy is the best team in these to me, something so our French contender. I think they have a lot of they have a move to be

made to show up their center position. I'm not sure how Kimba is gonna be improved as the season goes on, but there are French contender. To me, those are two, uh, just two great games of watching. One of the Lakers obviously lost, but this game the Lakers were able to get it out. Man. That was that was a fun game to watch. Just I like those games better than the you know, high scoring get forty three's up, make nineteen. I like the Rock five games like those are more

playoff oriented. That's what the that's what it looks like at the end of the season. So I was how I enjoyed myself. Yeah, it was. I thought it was their best defensive performance of the season. Um, with the exception of a couple of crazy sequences where you know, a guy got hacked complaining about a non call, didn't get back in transition, that kind of thing with accepting that's my biggest pem peeve with the Lakers this season. But guy does not get a call, he just stops playing.

Just wait, Oh, I guess that's my only is nippicking because the team I think is great. But my my biggest complaint is if they don't get a call they like that guy stops playing and it drives me nuts. It's insane and uh. But like, outside of those sequences, they defended extremely well. There was a lot they forced the Celtics to make tough shots and they did. Um. There were a couple of players where they gave up offensive rebounds, but a lot of that is a virtue

of the way their defensive scheme is set up. Because they're frequently cotton rotations and things along those lines. Uh. The Kimba stuff you brought up is interesting to me because I remember, you know, Kemba made a lot more sense with the Celtics when they initially signed him, because Tatum and Brown were earlier in their development and they really needed his on ball creation in order to be

kind of an engine in that offense. But now we're in this like awkward zone where Tatum is is ascending into this top ten type of status, Jalen Brown is hot on his heels. You know, last year, the Celtics came to Staples Center and Kemba sat out. I don't know if you remember this, but I think he was dealing with some knee issues at that time as well. And I remember everyone before the game is like, oh,

this that sucks. Kemba's out for this big showdown. And I remember thinking like, I'm more worried about the Celtics like this because at the time Tatum was killing it last year. But that game and then and UH and the the the uh Kemba being out caused them to lean more on lineups that were more switchable and and that didn't have that that Kemba Walker week link. And I remember thinking like that was one of the big reasons why they were able to stay so competitive with

the Lakers. In that game, Lebron had to hit a game winner to steal that game, if you remember. And like, literally, as I look at the Celtics now, like it almost makes more sense to use Kimba almost in like a sixth man type of role where he's bringing where he's bringing offense outside of their core lineups, because honestly, right now, it doesn't make as much sense to have him out there with how good Tatum and Brown are defense or offensively, and how much Kempa hurts them on the defensive end

of the right. It's it's it's just crazy how the how the league changes, because I remember that everybody was so big on them because Kimba was our Kyrie replacement. Right He's supposed to be the less. He's more, he's more of an intangible fit. But I think what people are missing this isn't even me watching the Celtics last year. Not as much. They miss Gordon Hayward, his playmaking. What he does. He's a ball mover, he gets the ball

moving side to side. He's very high cool guy. He played a lot of points forward and kind of let Tatum and Brown kind of focus on scoring, which is their strongest suit offensively, are right right now scoring, so they miss Gordon Hayward. And I just think, like again, I can't reason. I can't put them on the same level as a Philadelphe or even a Brooklyn the center position, like Tyson is a sixth man to me, he's a

d he's a bench player. To me, he's just in a series against him beat we saw last year against Bam. He just it's just he's just overmatched against those type of players. And I think until they make a move for a center, whether even if it's just a guy like Drummond, Yeah, I know it's expensive and harder to make the money where, but they just they need a center who can not be bullied by the top of the East, the big guys, the top of these even Indiana's looking like they're gonna be a top three or

four seeds. So you know, Boston got some work to do. I think from a roster construction standpoint, no, I agree with you. I think anybody who has them ahead of of of Brooklyn or Philly right now is kind of not taking into a into effect how good those two teams are the Uh, I'm with you. I was actually pro Brooklyn until the hard and trade. I really think the loss of Jared Allen puts them at a huge

disadvantage in a playoff matchup against Philly Um. But yeah, the the interesting thing with Boston is I actually predicted they would struggle start the year because of the fact that, you know, playmaking, like taking on a different playmaking role than you had the previous season just takes reps like you gotta figure it out, and they lean so heavily on Tatum and Brown the first couple of months of the season after not leaning on them as much because

of Kemba and because of Gordon last season that I expected them to struggle. So I I take them as a team that has more potential to peak later in the year as they just get more comfortable in their newer roles on the team, like they're they're they're actually in a stretch right now where almost every night they're coming out and giving you fifty five points efficiently in locking up on the other end of the floor. So they definitely had that potential. But there, you know, styles

make fights. You're not talking about this all the time there's there's there's a huge, huge mismatch problem with Joe l Embiid and there's not a person on that roster and you could even stay in single coverage. That alone forced him to work harder do any of the other things that you want out of that that defensive role.

So but yeah, speaking of matchups, though, I thought this was an interesting one for the Lakers in the sense that you know, you and I have talked a lot about how the Clippers present matchup problems for the Lakers in the form of their wings, because the Laker defense is built on these like quicker, undersized guards you know right around that six five to six three range who are super quick, play really hard, put a lot of ball pressure on the three point line, and kind of

funnel guys into the into the basket where all their length is. But the problem is is when you run into a Kauai or a Paul George or a Jalen Brown or a Jason Tatum, can they can really take advantage in in uh in these like mismatches in the post against guys like Struder is a great defender, but all of a sudden he gets into uh, he gets in the post against against Jalen Brown and it looks like trouble. So my my question for you is what what do the Lakers have to do to survive those

types of matchups in a playoff series. I think they'll be fine because this is a thing from me last year. I feel like, um, Lebron and a D take more defensive responsibility in the playoffs. I think they did that. They took them more the more marquee matchups. Um. Also I feel that, um, they just been for me the Lakers this year that I've seen. The little that make them just a little kink in the armor is like you said, they do that funnel thing where they funnel.

They're hard on the three point live funnel guys in the key. They don't have the same amount of size as they had last year. Uh. Also think when they put a D at the five more so in the playoffs, I think that will be like, he's an excellent rent protector that'll do it. So it's not so much it's one of those things that don't have to work around's not necessarily it's just something you can attack them with. But who else has Jayson Tatum and Jayon Brown and

Coally and Paul George. Right, it's two teams. It's it's just not gonna be teams with you know, those are the best four wings in basketball outside of Lebron in my opinion, So so it's uh, nobody else has that type of personnel to bring them like that. So I'm okay with it. What I'm worried about is, uh, I'm petrified of the Philadelphia seventies. I've said this before the season,

looking at the roster construction they bought. Darryl Morien. He fixes, He puts the best spacing that Joel Uh and then have had in their career. So I'm nervous about the seventi sixers. If that matchup happens, is a long way way got fight a whole playoff series. But yeah, that's what I'm That's what I'm nervous. But I'm not worried about the Lakers defending wings that work around that. Yeah.

And well, so I agree with you. The Celtics and the Clippers are the only two teams that present that problem, and both of them have the same problem on the other end with their inability to match up with Anthony Davis. So it kind of goes it kind of goes both ways.

As for the Philly matchup, actually, I was really really fascinated with how uh Anthony Davis guarded and beat at the end of that game and be killed the Lakers for the most part, drawing fouls and and getting into the lane and making his array of crazy shots until the end of the game when Anthony Davis started giving him more space and trying to bait him into into step backs and things along those lines and just kind

of beating him to the spot. He had one random crazy play at the end of the game where he like chested up on em beat and then beat just through and got an and one. And I remember sitting there thinking like, man, like, what do you what are you doing? Like you're giving him, You're you're playing right into his one single advantage over you, which is ridiculous strength, you know, compared to you. You know, but you're you're just as long as him. You're you're you're quicker than him.

You can beat him to the spot and force him to shoot over the top. But you know, so my I I always say, like, you know, a team like the Lakers have enough defensive versatility to peek at the right time at the end of the series defensively in order to overcome those types of matchups. Great example are are the Damian Lillard matchup, the the the Jamal Murray matchup,

and the James it In match up. The Lakers basically said, like, we're gonna double and and we're gonna count on the fact that over the course of this series, we're gonna figure out how to rotate on the back end so that we're not that like towards the end of these pivotal moments in these games, you guys just are going to be getting the same quality shots as you might

early in the series. I think that's a big part of why they lost Game one and in the first two rounds and lost an early game against Denver, and we're able to kind of peek at the end of the series. They just figured out, you know, we can double and rotate. So the same thing goes for a Joe l MB matchup, and the same thing goes for a Jale and Brown matchup. The idea is like, don't leave him on an island with Dennis Shooter. Just double and rotate. You guys are good at this. This is

literally the bread and butter of your defense. You've got all these super quick players, you all play really hard, you communicate, you kind of cover each other's flaws. So just double and rotate, double and rotate. What I don't like is leaving him on an island and letting him get cooked, and then everybody staring at each other and being what happened? You know what I mean? Yeah, I mean there's been a lot of you know, I like, I'll cry about Vogel and all that, But my thing

is he's won a championship. They've done it. So if you have you noticed my complaining about the Lakers way down this season. It's like, I'm so relaxed watching these games. It's just like, you know, whatever, don't even anything that bothers me is Caruso should be playing way more. Um, But other than that, like they won a championship, the cold coaching staff and show them that know how to

adjust from a team of team rounding around. So I'm just enjoying the games, man, I just I can't they want this, don't need to apply pressure at that level. They've they've shown that they can adjust in the series and what they do in the playoffs, So it's fine, but please play Crusso more. Yeah, and for the record, you were the complainer last year, so what you win a championship is definit me to complain about and say

they know show Maker win. We're all good now, just just just play Crusso more for him, you though, Yeah, you you had some complaints and the Lakers overcame them. So you you're you're a man of your word, if if not anything else. I am naturally an optimist with

this kind of stuff. So I'm like on another level of confidence with this team because even last year when they were showing flaws like I had, I just I have, like, you know, these basic pillars of what I think wins NBA basketball games, especially in the playoffs, you know, defensive versatility, super high end offensive players, and then having that alpha that doesn't shrink from the moment. And I just I was like, the Lakers got all of these bases covered

many times over. I just was always really really confident that they would be fine. And now that they have one, it's, like I said, it's just it's just another level of confidence in my opinion. Um, so let's start with a D. So this was eighties I thought best game of the season in terms of the way he attacked offensively against a good team. He's had some big numbers games against bad teams. But I thought he was much much better defensively. He was actually shutting off the rim in a way

he had it earlier in the season. Um. But I I just thought he looked more aggressive, and I just thought he was finally kind of taking the game series reiviously in a way that he had him before. Do you think that he was coasting or do you think he was hurt? What did you think was going on with him earlier in the season. Uh, probably a little of both. Man. I talked this, We and Kings have talked about this is just I didn't come into season

inspecting apply pressure. It was such a short turnaround. And he's not the most he hasn't has a history of being the most dirtiest guy anyway. So if he's patient himself, I'm not going to, you know, hold too much, you know,

hold that against him too much. He understands his body. Um. What I do think is that on paper, he had a matchup advantage against the Celtics, just looking at without them, just have a matchups where Lebron was obviously gonna be not stopped, but the wings that for the Celtics, it was a little like it so harder matchup whether the rather going against Christian Thompson and you know, daniel tys that's food for a D. He took ten shots in the first quarter. I was like, this is his game.

I telt you, I said, this is his game if he wants it tonight. And it seemed like, you know, he was aggressive like seven and thirteen. He had a couple of moments on defense where he kind of forgot the box out. He got to sell poster ride by you know, daniel chais not forgetting to the blackout. He got back cut a couple of times by Jaylen Brown on on the week side. But you know, those things

happened in the basketball game. You don't play the perfect game, so sir, but uh, I think people need to relax on the A D kind of like he's catching a lot of flak because he's not going a hundred a hundred miles per every game. But I think he's fine. He'll turn it up this I think when the second half of the season comes and get ready for the playoffs.

I think he's just trying to make it like, you know, we're we're in our thirties, so older guys like seventies seventy days for a new NBA season, that is a quick turnaround, man. And you gotta understand, even with the Lakers to stoppage last year, they didn't stop breaking out. They were staying in shape. So they really went over a year straight of staying in in season NBA shape. So you gotta factor all that in coming back to

this year. You know, he's not the most thirty or you know guys, so you gotta come from slack man, Like when they get to the second half of the season, they'll turn up to I have no doubt they're turned up the intensity and be a dominant team. There's still the first seed or a half game out. You talk for the first see anyway, So what are we complaining about here? Yeah? No, I agree like that. Everything's nipicky. This is this is what I said in my last podcast,

and I mean it sincerely. Like I I think it's okay to acknowledge that he hasn't been playing well. I just I just also don't care at all, Like I just I just don't like I I could, I could not You used to say the same thing last year during the regular season, when Lebron was going through some down stretches. You're like, he's not the one I'm worried about.

It's these other kinds. Like I was like, I'm not never know, Yeah, And that's kind of where I'm at with a D. It's like, of all of the things to think about with this season, the one thing that I worry about with a D is the same thing I worried about last year. And it's just this this leaning on his jump shot thing. I looked. I looked heavily into shot profile last week, Like so basically Lebron

takes a lot of jump shots now. But with Lebron, he's thirty six, he's he's literally coasting for good reason. And and if you look at his numbers like he I can I can't remember the exact numbers, but just a little under two for one, he's taking a shot outside of ten feet twice for every one shot he's taking in the paint. That's just a little bit less than two to one. And but he's thirty six, well,

a D s at the exact same ratio. And he's a big man who's in his twenties who So from that standpoint, like if there's one great to have with a D he's leaning more than ever into that jump shot, almost to the level of an old vet who's coasting through the season. But he's making it at a at a lesser rate than he usually has been, although he

was making them tonight. So that that's the one thing that's weird to me, is like he's he's shooting poorly yet shooting more than ever from the perimeter, and he's a and the Lakers aren't playing a five man underneath the basket while he while he's posting up anymore like this, This theoretically should have been a season where he was being more physically I been around the basket. That that's

just the one thing that I think is weird. That crazy that you said that, because because of what you just said, he was my m v P pick before the season started. That's funny, That's exactly I was like, you know, I got the spacing now this Saul's gonna have to get respected from the three point line and won't be clogged up. I thought Lebron would take kind of a not a back seat, but just hey, I'm

gonna coast to the second half of the season. It seems like those guys have reverse Lebron is like, let's go. I love the hoop seventy seven days, I don't care, let's go, and A D is like, uh, I'm gonna work my way back into it. Yeah, it's been. It's been. One of the more confusing things that I can remember seeing in my time as a fan, is that that kind of role reversal, because like there was every reason in the world for Lebron to coast through the season.

He literally said he was going to He literally said in a podcast like jokingly, I might not be there, Like it's literally what he said. And but he's just he's just been attacking this season. I think Lebron. I think Lebron is one of those guys that he really really wants his break and he was looking forward to

his break. But mentally, once he accepted the fact that he was going to be playing basketball from December to July, once he mentally crossed that barrier, he was all in again, and it was like and it was like there was no half asking for him from that from that respect, and you know, even in the past, people that like joke about Lebron coasting through the regular season, and he has in the past, but it's usually on the defensive end.

And this team, because of Frank Vogel and his ridiculous scouting reports and his ridiculous demand of guys on the defensive end, Anthony Davis and his demand on the defensive end, Alex Cruzo and these guys, he can't coast on the defensive end of the floor. Literally get as asked you

by all the other guys on the team. So I think I think it's it's it's just classic Lebron settling into being a professional and just playing his ass off and understanding that it's gonna inevitably, uh inevitably just lead to him succeeding on the court because of his habits in his process. Do you what do you have him in the MVP race right now? I have a second behind Joel Embiide, But if you give it to him,

I wouldn't complain. Let me look at the the net rating stuff, the Lakers record, it's just us all there, like even just all them narrative stuff aside the shooting. I think he's number one came into them tonight. Number one went off the dubble three point shooting, which is nuts for him to be doing that in year eighteen. I just think, yeah, yeah, they said before the game, they said number one in the NBA off the dribble three point percentage. Um. I just think Joel has been

especially this last ten days. He's had like thirty seven and twelve a game and he's at fifty forty and eight shooting the last seven and ten days. It's just where he is now. But it's also it's like this, So I think it's like this. So you know, Lebron in a d I think they're gonna be Lember Lebron and Joel. They'll be battling for it all season. Uh. If Joel can stay healthy upright, I think it'll be it'll be his to lose, but Lebron will be right there.

Like I said, if you give it to Lebron, I wouldn't complain at all because it definitely earned, which I have without he's playing this season. Um, it's just I was telling you know, Kings, it reminds me just watching the old grade players, you know, the Michael Jordan, the Kobe As they start to lose a bit athletically, you see how cerebral they are with the game. You can see everything moving in slow motion, and I think Lebron's at that stage right now. You know, he's not a

he's not a one percent athlete anymore. Still a very good athlete. That one percent athlete he used to be where everything's shoulders above the rim. But seeing the way he dies sects the game from cerebral standpoint, seeing everything two steps ahead, the jump shots flowing, it's just incredible to watch that year eight team. Like I said, he he's an uncharted territory as far as being this effective and at the top of the league at this far

down the line. So it's like, we have no choice but to enjoy the right We have no there's no precedent for when this stops, so you just kind of enjoy it, and you know, I'm happy you're doing as

a Laker. Yeah, no kidding. I've been really impressed by the cerebral side too, because you know, people were joking last year you were actually one of them, and and I wasn't too worried because I had seen him in the in the regular season a lot, but you know, he was struggling with bigger athletic wings when he would go against really athletic teams, he would look old, you know. And then he obviously had a lot of success in March against you know, Janice and and Quiet in those

last couple of games of the regular season. But there was some yeah, he but he was struggling for a little bit early in the season where he just looked he just was shooting, he was shooting poorly. He didn't seem like he was getting the same separation. And I don't think Lebron is anymore athletic than he was at that point in the season last year. I think it is the cerebral cerebral side. Like you can tell Lebron has adjusted the way he drives to the basket compared

to the way it used to be. Like one of the things he's doing all the time now is he's calling for the screen and roll, getting the defender on his hip, and then instead of trying to like really rip through and go all the way, he's kind of like taking a dribble up to the free throw line, getting the defender behind him, kind of bumping him a little bit from like to get him off, and then he's going to the rim and he's doing all these like little old man tricks that he didn't used to do,

that never used to be in his game in terms of the way that he would attack the basket. And so I've just been really impressed in the sense that like he he even at this point in his career,

isn't afraid to change the way he plays. And then, like we said, he's taking more threes off the dribble, he's still like, Yeah, there was a stretch there in the second quarter of the game where the Lakers where the where Brad Stevens was just doubling him every single time he got the ball inside the three point line. He never once forced a shot over the double. He just kept making the right play moving around. The dude, he's just seeing the game and slow motion right now.

He never gets scared. I yeah, I I think it's been one of the more fun stretches of basketball for me as a Lebron fan to root for him, just because like he just there's the ring. The fourth ring added like this whole other level of confidence to to his game, and it's just he's just he's just floating through these things and everyone else is like like crazy running around their hair cut off and he's hair on fire and he's just like cruising through these games. Um

so uh uh. Two other things I wanted to touch

on before I let you go. So first of all, one of the things that stood out to me tonight and has stood out to me lately, and I'm interested to hear your open and so Mantres had three blocks tonight, and but all three of them came in scenarios where the the offensive player was into a second defender kind of like shoulder to chest, trying to get some separation and throwing something up, and Tred's would come flying in and help side and and swat the ball out of bounds.

Where I think Tread's is actually a really bad rim defender is is when he's actually head up with the guys. I think, like on that last play where Tatum got the h the jumper over the top of the little floater over the top of him, or any other sequence where someone's coming freight trained down the down the middle and Trends is waiting under the basket. He's actually not

all that great of a rim protector. When the offensive player sees him coming, I I really struggle with him and pick and roll coverage too, because he always catches himself in no man's land. He's never he's never actually up bothering the ball handler. But he's enough. Yeah, yeah, it's it's honestly like So, I was down on the tread signing from the beginning of the year. I didn't like the way to hardcap the team. I liked Dwight

Howard in that role better. I've been pretty like, I've been pretty disappointed with it, and and now he's playing

crunch time. He was in there and crunch time again tonight, Like I've been really confused by what if your what's been your kind of outlook on the Montres Harald things so far this year I was kind of lean with you where I was kind of against it, But tonight I think down the stretch it was wow because it shrunk the floor because he was on the floor with Lebron in a D and I think it made it laters.

I think that's why they got staggning late, because the floor is really shrunk when all those guys on there. But in general, I think treads Is effectiveness has been dictated by the matchup. I think some teams are gonna feel like tonight he was able to have a big night. I think it was eight for ten or eight four eleven. He had, he made some, he had something, just not a big team with a certain games, the the Blazers game early on where just Nur Kitchen and Canada just

a handful for him. He's got a great defender, those big guys. He plays center when he's in with a D because a D just playing playing power forward all right now, Um, the sixer game, it's tough sometimes even the teams with those big with those big Burley centers, I think that's not the matchup for him. But teams like this, where's the guy like Tyson and and Thompson, guys he can beat up and down the floor, Guys that he can face up and get by and and kind of body up. It's a good match up form.

So he's a good matchup. Got to add um, I think he'll be in the hunt for six man. I think my my biggest underestimation of Tras was on nights when the Lakers lack of energy. That's where he brings like no matter what, he's gonna play hard. He'll make hi play to spark the team. And I think that's the positive. What he brings to the team kind of intangibly, but tangible effect just depends on the matchup, which is fine because like again it's a testment to the Lakers

death Man. They're literally eleven deep. They got eleven brote players India, which is unheard of these days. Yeah, there are teams like that are killed to have Wesley Matthews and Markis Morris and jout tonight right are the thing that tries that bothers me is I feel like sometimes he's set up to fail. And and what I mean by that is, like, you know, when you're dealing with a flawed basketball player, you need to try to put them in a position where their strengths are shown and

not their flaws. So that that was the reason why I brought up the rim protection stuff a little a little bit ago, because you know, asking Montrez Harrold to stop guys on a on a freight train to the basket, you're asking him to fail. You're putting him in a position to fail. That's not that's not a strength of his.

So so what are Montress Harold strength. So he's he has a super high motor, and he's got he's got really long arms, and he's pretty quick right for a big though, those are like his strengths defensively, So to me, in the defensive scheme that that's a big part of why you know, Tim Tim Cranch just was talking about this for a long time with the way there they

adjusted their pick and roll coverage. But like to me, it makes a lot more sense to never have him drop because you're putting him in a position there to fail, but to use his strength. So if he's if he's quick, and he has long arms, it makes a lot more sense to have him trap and double screen and roll because in that in that scenario, he can run around in rotation and be another big man on the floor use his Like there was a play Jason Tatum runs

screen and roll. It's Lebron and Tres in the action, Uh Tatum comes off the screen, Mantres literally dives with both arms down on the ball, takes the ball away from him, leads to a fast break for Lebron the other way, and I think he drew a foul, I can't remember, but it led to a basket or points

the other way for the Lakers. And on that player, I remember sitting there thinking like that's asking Montres to do something he's good at that he is actually capable of being an impact defensive player when you use him the way that he's supposed to be used. He's never been a good rim protector. If you ask he he can block shots and helps that if if a guy's doesn't see him coming and he comes and he can

really load up and come iron in the blocking shot. Yeah, sure he can do that, But you're you gotta ask him to play to his strengths and the same thing goes offensively, like you said, attacking matchups. Yeah, when he has a chance against a small a smaller team to be super aggressive, that's when you need to keep feeding him kind of like they did tonight, and then they're gonna be games where he needs to take a back seat.

But I I feel like some of the some of the gripe with Montrez is he's been asked to do a lot of the same things that the Clippers asked him to do, which is a drop coverage big where he's just gonna get killed, Like that's strength, you know what I mean? Yeah? I agree, And I did say to to the As far as using him better, uh, Vogle did talk about today about that and actually had a coaches beating about getting him a more picking rolls, so like that was actually said today, So I think

that's going to look out for going forward. Also to keep him mind of the practice time is basically zero, like in season, you're playing every other day because it's a condensed schedule. So there's that part of it too, like guys knee reps. So we'll see how it looks has the season goes on. Yeah, they have all sorts of time to figure this out, and I think that's I think that's one of the things too. And people are always like, oh, like why is leron playing every night?

Like he should be taking some rest, and I think a d has actually been dealing with an injury at this quad contusion. But like, if if I'm these guys, I'm like, I want to play all seventy two because I'm playing I'm playing thirty two minutes a night if I'm a Star, and if I'm a role player, I'm playing twenty five and if I'm Crusoe, I'm playing seventeen

for some reason. So like if I'm if I'm one of these guys, I'm like, three times a week, I'm gonna play twenty minutes of basketball like that, and I'll play by ass off in those minutes to get in shape and to get to get the feel of the team. So one last thing. So I talked a lot in my last podcast about my beef with Schroeder in the starting lineup, and I'm really interested to hear your opinion

on this. So basically, the quick version of the breakdown is this, because Schroeder's in the starting lineup, it's forcing them to play Lebron by himself a lot in the way that the lineups breakdown. So for instance, when Schroeder's with Lebron and a D, they're killing teams. When Lebron is with Schroeder, they're killing teams. When Lebron's with a D, they're killing teams a D and Schroeder's not doing super great. But that a lot of that had to do with

how a D was playing. But there's like a huge chunk of minutes, like two minutes, it's over two hundred minutes now, I think where Lebron has been playing with neither Schroeder nor a D. And I think a big part of that is the way the rotation breaks down because they start Schroeder and then and then they take Lebron out with like five minutes left in the first Schroeder and a D run the end of the first quarter, and then Lebron comes back in and both a Schroeder

and a D go to the bench, and now Lebron's running the show by himself, and they're barely floating the ship in those minutes. And so there are a lot of reasons to in my opinion, to let Schroeder come off the bench because he can come out and be super aggressive. It helps you to get a D in a rhythm earlier in the game because you're less worried

about Schroeder's rhythm. But most importantly, it's forcing them, with the way the rotations break down, to play Lebron by himself or not by himself, but with regular role players for large chunks of these games. So I have a problem with that from a strategy standpoint. What is your opinion on the whole Shoulder in the starting lineup thing. The reason I am not for change right now is

because Shoulder was literally playing at all defensive level. I mean, he has opposing If you look at the go down list of the shooting percentage of the opposing blank guards that he's gone against, it's been he has had those guys literally locked down. Like tonight again was another one. Kimball was one for twelve. Even on the last step back, he didn't get enough space for shoulder to get a clean look. Should us all the way up in him, shoulders,

shoulders chasing arale, picking rolls. That's why I'm kind of those are valid points you're raising, by the way, but I think just there the Lakers have made it knowing that they are a defensive team first, and I think

you just kind of gotta reward that. If anything, I say that you tinker with the subs a little bit to begin with, maybe take your shoulder right a little earlier and then take Lebrian and then bringing back together or making so that one is on the court all times, where either shooter or a D s on the court with le Bron at all times, like you just have two of them on the at the at ever every moment of the game. But I'm against the starting change

because he's playing so well defensively. I think you gotta you gotta kind of reward that, you know, Yeah, I hear you, and and and it does make sense to me, and like a valid points of those are those are points that those are good pointing raids. Though it's definitely something to talk about, and like Schroeder is the third best player on the team, and he's a really good point guard, Like he's definitely good enough to be a

starting point guard in this league. That's not the problem for me, and and I totally see what we're coming from it. For the record, this is just me complaining because they're not gonna make They're not gonna make a change, Like why why would they? There's literally no reason for them to make this change. Schroeder has been playing a lot better in the last couple of games than he had been in the games before that, so there's no

real reason for it. But it's just it's just frustrating to me because like I think of it from Schroeder Schroeder's perspective, Like, you know, I would much rather play freely knowing that I can be aggressive and not have to worry about the way it's impacting the other players on the floor if I'm in that role, you know, and in that case, like you can tell, I think one of the big reasons why Schroeder went into a little bit of an offensive slump there is it is

difficult to to figure out. Like, imagine if I dropped you Jason Maples on the court with Lebron and a D tomorrow in a pickup game, would you even know where to go stand or what to do other than

to go spot up in the corner? Like this is what I'm saying, So like it's just hard, it's hard to figure out, and like and whereas like what if I told you, like, Okay, Lebron and a D are checking out, I need you to go in and shoot five shots in the next four minutes, you know, like that, That's where it's like a it's a different it's a different type of of of approach mentally to that game. And to your point, that can be handled by tinkering

the subs a little bit. My point is like, when you have three players of that caliber, there's never a reason to have one of them on the court unless of them is literally sitting out like a D did the other night. That's really the only that the only time to ever ever do it like that, Um, real quick, before you leave, what's your what's your take on the hardened Kyrie uh Durant nets how do you feel about

him so far? I'll say the people who are saying that there's not there's just one ball, those people are nuts. You've got three generational scores, hard and an excellent passer, k D and Kyrie already played off the ball before. Um. My issument is they cannot stop anybody. Okay, see's not a good offense. They gave up one. They just can't stop anybody. But my thing is if they can even get the defense to average though, they're going to the finals.

They just become passable on defense, they'll go to the finals. This is when you have three guys who can fill it up like that. It's just, uh, it's fun to watch there there there are fun to watch. I just I don't think they'll get the stops. I'm hanging onto. Philly has my number one to come out the East. Uh. I do have them better than the Milwaukee though, but a is uh Buds running that crazy scheme where you give up threes the just all out close off the paint.

Those guys score two well for that, So I don't think they'll beat that. They'll beat Milwaukee. UM. Indiana is interesting because Indiana's strength is right where the nets weakness is, which is inside. I think Sa Bonus and Turner have a field day, but I think that's probably like a six or seven gamer. But I think the Nets win. I think the only competition for them is Philly. But let me I'll put a little pause on that. Let me see Miami at full strength. I think they just harrow.

Somebody in Tyler Harrow's house called COVID, so he has to sit for two weeks now, so they able to get give me back after two weeks. They gotta sit the Harrow down for two weeks. So just the carousel goes on for them. Let me if Milwaukee can put if Miami can put two months together of just having everybody there. Uh. I'll like to see Miami play the Nets in the series too, But right now, I think Philly is a team to the team to come out

these But that seems gonna be amazing. Offensively, Yeah, any any complaints about them offensively didn't make any sense to um. I do believe. I don't want to dive too much into it, but I do that I do believe a little bit in the law of diminishing returns offensively. Kind of this idea that like when a Kyrie level talent is basically turned into a spot up shooter, um, it does on on large portion for large portions of the game.

It does like Kyrie is only so good as a spot up shooter compared to like, say a Wesley Matthews, you know what I mean, Like Kyrie is a great spot up shooter, but like if Kyrie is going to hit that at fifty, but Wesley Matthews can hit the wide open three for thirty percent or fort but you know, Kyrie can make the crazy crossover one, but Wesley Matthews can't even do that. There's like this idea like of diminishing returns, where there's so much offensive talent on the

floor that like there's some limit there. But people were crazy to think that they wouldn't find a way to write whatever that ceiling is, they're gonna find it. Whatever the whatever the absolute peak of NBA offenses, those guys are gonna find it. That's not my worry. Here's the problem. The It's not even just about defense. You need to be able to do three things to win a basketball game. You need to be able to score. You also need to be able to stop the other team from scoring.

You also need to be able to get the rebound when the other thing is a shot. Okay, those things exactly. They are. They're not just bad in the other two, they're really bad exactly. So those are those would be my concerns. Not to me, this fix is easy. It's Kevin Durant. You know, Kevin Durant is Anthony Davis's physical ability. You know, Kevin Durant could be the guy who gets them from basement offense or defense, basement rebounding two or whatever it is that they need to be to where

their unbelievable offense can get them over the top. I just think that that's a lot to ask him to do, exactly. And like you know, I saw they picked up Hmon Schuppert's day. I like him on Schumper, but he's not

going to be a difference maker in that regard. Plus with the guard redundancy that they have on that roster, it's like, how if you play him with Joe Harris, Kyrie and James Harden, you're making yourself even more undersized, Like you need to, you need to, Like it's gonna come down to Jeff Green and Katie in the front court and whether or not they can match up with some of these really big teams. And and if I'm if I'm Bam and Jimmy Butler, I'm having a field

day on them on the other end of the last week. Yeah, if if I'm honest, like, good luck man, jannest is going for forty three points a game in that series. Like, it just doesn't make any sense to me. So I just was, you know, I think, like I think people have oversimplified basketball into you know, people people who are saying they wouldn't be able to score, we're idiots. That was that was absolutely crazy. But but the idea that that was the only thing they needed to do to win,

I thought was silly. And and there's a there's a little bit of like a a h a willingness from that because they're early in this season and they're they've already kind of let their foot off the gas on the defensive end of the ball, Like Katie was awesome the first couple of games of the year, and then he's kind of let off, and like, my thing is like, like it's this is the time when they should be most excited. They just got James Harden. You know they're

going to build something. You got build something exactly. This should be the time when they're like really stoked about trying to play defense. And I'm so, I'm I'm less worried about them, and but at the same time, like I think you said this and agree with you. If you give if you gave me one summer as the GM of that team, I'd figure out a way to turn them into a contender, like they summer. They they just need they just need Katie to make a couple

of phone calls to free agents. No, seriously, a couple of key free agents this year. They're like, hey, listen, man, like we're gonna do this, you know what I mean. But um, anyway, hey dude, I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. I'm really they appreciate you. Oh I love it, man, I appreciate it. But you have a good rest of your night and good rest of your weekend. And let's try to do this again in a couple of months. Not fichel Man loop. Let me know what says Nothing