Ss&r: Why Karl-anthony Towns Is The Best Fit For The Lakers

Honestly, I'd dump it every play if it works. I don't really care if it's old-school. If they can't stop it, keep exploiting it.

 

That's Byron Scott-esque.

 

i prefer my bigs to be nearer the basket on both ends. the idea that having a pivot is somehow antiquated is sort of silly to me.

i don't think any okafor supporter is suggesting that you can walk it up and throw it in the post like in the 80s. of course, it's not really about the 80s, it's about the legalization of zone defense. still, if i have a guy who can torch you for high percentage shots on the block, it changes the geometry of the game just like if i have a guy who can shoot the three.

two of the best teams in the nba over the past five years (SA and mem) boast very traditional centers (duncan and m. gasol). both teams actually have the audacity to play two guys in the frontcourt who can't shoot threes and still manage to kick everyone's teeth in on a nightly basis. both frontcourts are also fairly unathletic, and none of these bigs would be hypothesized to cut off the modern high screen/roll game...but they do.

speed matters, but size, strength, and skill matter too. a proper mix of all but one of those can make for a superstar and a cornerstone. i think the idea that every team must play like golden state now (who, btw, ran a plodding, non-shooting center for their 67 wins and league-best defense) isn't creative. there are lots of ways to win. towns and okafor present different, not necessarily better ways. russell, too.

ultimately, it depends on how you construct the team and scheme around them--and that will matter for towns, too. hell, it matters for lebron and anthony davis.

 

^Marc Gasol hasn't won a ring with his style of play. Matter of fact, Memphis has gone away from the post in recent years and ran more pick in roll. As far as Pop and Duncan go, I said in another thread that Pop is on record saying, he likes the old slow it down throw into your Center and let him go to work; however, he acknowledged within the current rules environment he can't play that style.

I'm not arguing completely removing the post. They Spurs rarely post him (Duncan) at all, and almost always as a secondary action off of the other stuff. Again, no one is saying no to post game. It just can't be the initiating action of a great offense, because it doesn't move the defense. It can certainly be used once the defense is spread and moved, but starting your offense with a traditional post up is just helping the defense.

 

i don't see anyone really advocating that (post dump at play initiation). i think that's a bit of a straw man. the question is whether you can win playing with a center who stays within 15 ft of the basket. i say people can and do.

and i haven't seen anyone win a ring with a three-point shooting center. unless you count bosh, in which case, you're being disingenuous. i could construct any number of title winning formulations once you spot me a lebron james.


edit/sidenote: i think duncan would get more post touches if he were younger. his knees couldn't take attempting to establish and hold position every time down the floor.

 

Awesome post @lakerjones

 

No, thank you! Like trd said, you nailed it and I couldn't have said it better myself. I just love this forum.

 

Another point to add to the Okafor in the post can equal a championship formula: just the threat of having him in the middle will be enough on some occasions. I think he has the ability to draw more attention in the post than any Laker we've had since 34 and anyone the league has seen since Shaq and TD's prime.

Not out of the gates, but within 2-3 years teams are going to spend countless hours of film study before every game against us trying to figure out how to get the ball out of his hands. Whether to double, swarm, or dare to leave single coverage on him. He's going to lead to a lot of sleepless nights for the other teams coaches.

We won't have the necessary floor spacers this year, but with the cap space we're going to have over the next 3 years...it won't take any longer than that to get the needed pieces.

Anytime you have a player who has that size, those moves and footwork, and can shoot close to 60%...other teams are going to be s***ting their pants.

 

That was beautiful.....LJ. Well said.

And again to Trevor Lane .... Wow another meaty, substantial Lakers centric article. Emplay was good, actually very good at a similar stage. But there is a certain something about the way you're putting the words together. With the all important, required substance from a "good" writer and reporter. Sweet!!

 

I didn't mean to insinuate that anybody was outright saying or implying that we should dump the ball into at the initiation of a set; although, I would if I saw a disadvantage in the matchup; i.e. Draymond guarding Marc Gasol, and I'd keep taking advantage of it until the defense was adjusted which probably wouldn't take long. My position was simply running an offense more suited to a modern day approach and doesn't include throwing the ball into the teeth of the defense and saying, 'here Okafor go to work,' as a main staple in our offense. I don't think it's a straw man. It's taking a larger look of what we can and should run that will yield enough points at an efficient rate. Throwing into the post is the equivalent of watching Jordan Hill shooting jumpers clogging up penetrating lanes all game long...

And of course Centers still have a role in this league; generally, though, they do 4 things at an elite level A.) Swat B.) Board C.) Finish D.) Set Great Screens that free up shooters. There will always be a need for size, but they way they're utilized is a bit different in this era of 'small-ball.' I don't understand how the 3 point-shot came into play in what you were saying; nevertheless, we'll see what happens.

 

@RandleROFY I'm not quite sure why you think using Okafor's postgame as our #1 option is a bad idea? Of course we're going to utilize other offensive sets, but if Okafor pans out it will create havoc for the opposing team's defense, upping the efficiency of other offensive plays.

As the great Kobe Bryant once said, "To be unstoppable, you have to first be predictable, because if you're unpredictable you don't know what the heck you're going to do, so how can you dictate to the defense what you're going to do?"

Our offensive identity will undeniably be post play if we land Okafor, like it or not.

 

I didn't say interior play was gone. Yes, the league stopped producing big men that can play out of the post. GS tried doing isolation post-ups with Mark Jackson; guess what? Disaster. Look at Mark's FG% the last 2 years in the PO's; it's sub 40%. Oh, and GS will get a ring out of it this year. Marc still hasn't reach a Finals yet...

 

I don't think throwing the ball into Okafor saying, 'Okafor, here go to work,' will be a recipe for success. I'm not saying remove the post altogether. However, running as a secondary action is a great way to get the most out of it. Or hey, what about getting Randle and Okafor on the move in motion concepts? That's another great thing you could do. I'm just not a fan in today's league of thinking pounding the rock into the post is going to work. I just don't..

 

So wait, if prime Shaq was still in the league you'd be against throwing the ball into him as our #1 option even though he'd average 30pts at a 60FG% clip?

 

I'd have to put a little more thought into that question. What I can tell you is the game has changed so much since Shaq left and within the last 2-3 years. I'm not going to argue any further on this subject, though.

I love Okafor and his talent. We'll just see how it goes this season...