kodo wrote:We'd also ideally get rid of one of Demar or Zach if want Lonzo to be doing this. The reality is that our PG is named Demar Derozan. He gets the ball at half court, walks it up, initiates the offense, and will pass or score as needed. The 2021 NBA definition of a PG. Lavine as the other guard also does an immense amount of offensive initiation.
If Lonzo is now running the half court, we have a lot of wasted resources invested in Lavine & Derozan. Lonzo perfectly fits with how much of the offense is dominated by Derozan & Lavine, as does Caruso. Maybe long term as Demar heads towards retirement Lonzo takes over the half court more, but who knows where either guy will be in their next contract. But right now, Lonzo being a very high volume 42% 3P shooter is perfect for this team.
Statistically, Lonzo is matching the long range shooting of 2019 Klay Thompson (3.1 made 3s per game) on better accuracy (Lonzo 42%, Klay 40%) while playing All-NBA level defense and far better passing. You don't want to change anything about a 2-way gem like that.
I think there are actually tons of opportunities for Lonzo to develop and score and do whatever he wants to do alongside Zach and DeMar. In fact from a developmental perspective, the fact that Zach/DeMar will typically draw the best two perimeter defenders leaving Lonzo with the 3rd (or worse) perimeter defender on him should give him much more opportunity to develop against weaker defensive players than if one of those guys were removed and he had better defenders and the threat of double teams.
The simple fact is that Lonzo, to date, is a terrible finish at the rim and struggles to get past people. He isn't good at creating his own shot and it's unlikely he ever will be if he's 5 years into the league and isn't good at it yet.
Lonzo should certainly keep working on his weaknesses, but there's literally no reason to expect he's going to significantly improve on them to the point where he becomes an off the dribble creator and offensive initiator threat.
He's actually worked super hard to develop his game into the perfect team player. Very quick release, good three point shooter, range that goes beyond the three point line if in catch and shoot situations, strong rebounder, great defender, great transition player, great passer. Every utility skill imaginable is in his bag already.
If he can some how become a guy that generates shots off the dribble and can become a dominant initiator he would be LeBron James, but that simply doesn't seem to be in the cards here. This isn't like adding a three point shot, which likely any NBA player could be competent at with about three to four months with a shooting coach. Shot creation at an NBA level is the combination of athleticism and many skills all thrown together that most players can never do regardless of how long they work at it.
