I remember the @lfrpod.bsky.social episode in which @lakerfilmroom.bsky.social biggest macro level concern was the Lakers’ ability/inability to beat switching defenses in a playoff scenario

Think adding Ayton (along with Luka obviously) goes a long way toward addressing that concern

To be clear, I’m not saying Thiero will be as good as Paul Milsap (in fact, it’s extremely unlikely)

But the measurements are nearly identical and the play style has lots of similarities to Milsap

If everything breaks right for Adou, there’s a world where he’s Milsap-esque

After diving into film + physical profile/measurements for Adou Thiero, the absolute best case scenario if everything hits right?

Might be a Paul Milsap offensive archetype

Burly face-up PF w/back-to-basket game and midrange prowess that adds respectable 3pt shot down the line

Perhaps the most enticing part of Thiero’s game from a long term perspective is the back-to-basket component

▪️Overpowers smaller/weaker defenders
▪️Solid footwork/pivot ability
▪️Shot 48.6% from midrange on 70 attemp

Thiero projects well in Stampede action

-Getting the ball on the move allows him to manifest the run + jump athleticism

-Slot cuts are a fantastic way to get Adou touches without soaking up usage early in his career

Finishing upside

▪️66.2% at the rim in half-court scenarios
▪️Ambidextrous finisher with good contact balance
▪️Bodes well for dunker spot projection

Excellent touch

-Really good floater in the 8-12ft range
-High arching floater that should be solid at NBA level

Has just enough on-ball juice to get separation vs bigs/slower wings

-Has above-average acceleration in tandem with core-balance + verticality to beat weaker defenders on straight-line drives

-But not particularly shifty and doesn’t really play at multiple speeds

🧵

Deep-dive film review on Lakers’ draftee Adou Thiero’s offensive repertoire and how it translates to the NBA early in his career

Face-up PF is most viable archetype for Adou right now

-Thrives as downhill threat off Ghost screens and as roller
-Eats up space vs drop
-Seeks contact + draws fouls

Middle stages of the 4th and MINN has lots of momentum

Reaves with excellent defense on Randle to force a contested pull-up 3

Lebron doing everything he can to box out Gobert

Hachimura comes crashing in to secure a defensive rebound and thwart the TWolves run

Hachimura on an island vs Randle to open the game

Rui beats him to the spot, maintains his positioning as Julius gets into his chest and gets in a perfect contest to force a tough fadeaway and secure a stop

Rui in nail-help position to deter Reid

NAW gets into Stampede action to exploit this (Ham actually did this well vs MEM in 2023)

Hachimura beats him to the spot, stays vertical and bumps him off his spot to force a wild miss

The subtle nuances of low-man defense often go unnoticed

Look at Hachimura closely here
▪️stunts at Conley to force him into an early floater
▪️boxes out Gobert + allows DFS to clean up the garbage

No boxscore credit, but massive impact

TWolves with a ton of momentum as they try to mount a 4th qtr comeback

Randle exploits Luka for reaching-in and it appears he has an easy finish at the rim

Look at Hachimura with the low-man rotation + vertical contest to generate a TO

Winning hoops

Look at the sheer physicality + contact balance from Rui here

Randle backing Hachimura down and gives Rui a final blow to the chest before going up with the shot

But Rui forces Randle off his spot to force Julius into an off-balance fadeaway to get the sto

Rui’s defensive impact in G2 was critical

Given the setting + implications, Hachimura may have played his best defensive game as a Laker

🧵

On an island vs Edwards, stays in-phase and doesn’t get lost on the deceleration/pull-back crossover + perfect contest to force a miss

Look at the old man work

◼️Stunts at Edwards 2x to deter dribble penetration
◼️Closes to McDaniels to prevent corner 3
◼️Crashes glass to secure contested DReb

Lebron may have missed some shots yesterday, but these are the sort of multiple effort defensive possessions that win titles

With Lebron transitioning to more of a post-oriented roll in half-court settings, Redick will need to be more consistent in the playoffs w/off-ball action + tactical moves to exploit help

These weakside pin-ins from Vanderbilt are a great release valve for Lebron when opposing defenses load up

Lebron James beating bigs on switches + isolation was a big component of the Lakers victory over Dallas

LBJ got consistent separation vs Lively/Gafford

That’s massive for a team that often exchanges structured offense for switch-hunting

LAL small-ball unit was +78.1 NET v Mavs

Ja Morant Breaks Silence on Gun Gesture Controversy Ja Morant speaks about his latest gun gesture drama

Beyond my Lakers coverage, I will be doing some general NBA writing for @athlonsports.bsky.social. My first piece is on Ja Morant and the disconcerting trend of his dazzling on-court moments getting overshadowed by everything else.

athlonsports.com/nba/miami-he...

Great to see you spreading your wings a bit!

As we head into the playoffs, only 6 teams in the NBA have a winning record vs teams above .500

CLE (25-8)
OKC (28-10)
BOS (22-11)
HOU (21-16)
LAL (20-16)
GS (20-18)

Since the New Year, the Lakers are 13-4 against teams in the top 10 in point differential. That’s the 2nd best record in the league, and best in the West. They also have the 3rd best netRTG (+7) in those games and are 5th in offense and defense.

Post Luka trade, they’re 10-2 against the NBA’s best.

Luka Doncic was masterful at generating quality looks against a stingy Rocket defense, even in the absence of structured offense for the majority of the game

Luka’s ability to leave his feet + process while in the air is a big part of what makes him a generational offensive hub

Horns Flare
-Standard Horns Alignment w/Luka + LBJ at elbows
-Reaves Entry to Luka
-Lebron Flare for Austin
-Austin for 3

Reaves is generating 1.06ppp on Off-Screen possessions this season (70th percentile) on good volume

Austin has developed into a legit movement shooter

Really liked some of the schematic elements/action + deployment from Redick vs Memphis

Split Rip STS
-Entry to Lebron
-Split action as Vanderbilt screens for Knecht
-Vincent backscreen for Dalton (Rip)
-Vanderbilt screen for Gabe (screen the screener = STS)

Easy dunk for Vando

LAL vs MEM with major playoff seeding implications in a functional must-win game for both teams

Luka
Lebron
Ja
JJJ
Bane

And Austin Reaves was the best player on the court all night long

That man is nobody’s 3rd option…….

The Laker offense with Jarred Vanderbilt on the court this season (927 possessions)

▪️118.6 pts/100 possessions (79th percentile)
▪️23.4 FT Rate (94th percentile)
▪️32.8 OReb% (89th percentile)

The idea that Vanderbilt “tanks the offense” is generally theoretical at this point

Thumb Out Veer
-Thumb Out Alignment
-Reaves entry to Luka at Slot
-DFS down screen for Lebron after the ballscreen for AR (Veer action)

This is a staple of the GS offense

Although the execution is poor here, the looks/matchups in tandem w/personnel utilization is what you want