Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

WUT? Guess you have missed some games and just declaring bleep that ain’t true?

 

Yeah he regressed with the turnovers tonight but has been trending upward considerably in that area ever since the 9 TO game.

 

Will be interesting to see how we adjust in the future when good teams throw this at us

 

The adjustment is doable - spread the floor with good shooting. Play a PnR with Lebron and AD, then kick it to Westbrook as the secondary attacker. He'll build up a head of steam with only one player to beat, it's a shot at the rim or an automatic foul every time.

 

No. Just No.

 

I’m sorry but there is just no adjustment for the defense on Russ. The 2020 champ Lakers proved it over and over in crushing Houston’s small ball

 

No..the 2020 Champ Lakers proved that Houston's strategy, of using a lineup of all 6'7 and under players against them, was totally stupid. The Rockets started Robert Covington at 5 and tried to use PJ Tucker as the other defender on AD. Russ played that series with a torn quad. Yet the narrative about that series, was Westbrook blah,blah,blah.. instead of the dumb idea that those little guys, were going to beat our size in a 7 game series. We wore their a** out by game 4. Lebron was bigger than all their rotation players. We had AD, Bron, Kuz, Javale and Dwight. Anybody that thought the Rockets really had a chance in that series, were delusional in the first place.

 

The biggest strength of the 2020 squad in the playoffs, was that we could play small ball, with the best small ball teams, while maintaining a size and physicality advantage. That is what makes AD special, he is the best small ball center in the League. (When healthy.)

 

Pretty much this!

 

yes, exactly. one of AD's biggest values is that he eats up small ball defensively and punishes it offensively. you're forced to play at least one big against us with lebron and AD (and westbrook, for that matter). our version of that gimmick rockets team with lebron at center isn't as effective, but mostly because russ wasn't our smallest guy. also, vogel isn't MDA.

i still like smallball with AD at center as a much-of-the-game option, but i'd still prefer a marc gasol type at center next to AD moreso than howard or *gasp* jordan. russ at pg basically necessitated that your center HAS to be someone the defense must attend to outside the paint.

 

Tweet that to Vogel. Guy is alergic to PnR for some reason

 

has anyone used russ as a roll man, btw? that seems like another way to get around teams putting their worst defender on him and dropping into the paint. if russ sets a screen for lebron and rolls rather than pops, you can't trap and can really only switch. and now your worst defender is on lebron, westbrook has the ball with momentum near the paint and an advantage, or you've left a shooter on the wing (melo or monk, preferably).

again, though, must be playing AD at center and not dwight or dj.

 

Russell had a poor game 2 and 5. What’s conveniently left out is that that he had a torn quad and had come back 3 games before the lakers series. In the other 3 games he averaged 27 points on 49% shooting. That hardly shows the tactic worked.

Just put Lebron and Russ in a PnR with Russ rolling.

 

It kills me that we don’t play more PnR with Russ, Lebron and AD, any combo of the above is just a great set with two shooters on the wings.

 

I want to say we have.

We've nearly abandoned the pick in roll with Russ. We've use him as a screener for LBJ, we've cleared out the left side in certain possession to isolate him, etc.

He dived yesterday and scored on a bounce pass from LBJ. He scored in space.

If we're being fair, he has been good on this trip by his standards after a horrific start to January.

But I still say trade him when you can...

 

^^^ “if he has to play”

 

Exactly. Because he sucks...

But we really have no other options.

 

yeah, that works, but it takes an elite passer to make that specific shot happen. but even with a lesser playmaker on the wing, if russ flashes a bit higher, he's got a path to the basket and the ability to draw and kick to the weakside. there are things that can happen. but dwight and dj can't be out there.