The LeBron Thread 2021 Off-Season Edition

[PistolPeteJR]

Nunn is not a bad defender.

He is avg at best from everything I have seen and read

What are you seeing to show he’s good?

He was better in his rookie season, but he's pretty well-rounded on defense on the perimeter from the eye test in his rookie season.

[nzahir]

Nunn is not a bad defender.

He is avg at best from everything I have seen and read

What are you seeing to show he’s good?

He was better in his rookie season, but he's pretty well-rounded on defense on the perimeter from the eye test in his rookie season.

You watch a lot of Miami games or tape on him?

[PistolPeteJR]

He is avg at best from everything I have seen and read

What are you seeing to show he’s good?

He was better in his rookie season, but he's pretty well-rounded on defense on the perimeter from the eye test in his rookie season.

You watch a lot of Miami games or tape on him?

Watched him a decent amount but never did any analysis on him.

[falcolombardi]

Watch on YouTube

Was LeBron always this good at stripping people in the post/paint? The emblematic LeBron defense post possession to me is they get a heavily contested shot off and can't really make progress against Bron, not Bron turning it into layups on the other end after a swipe.

Anyone have some idea bout his deflection rate/strips/etc. over the years?

He’s always been really good from my eye test, not sure about the actual data

He was great at stripping or blocking Duncan in the last couple of finals they played

It’s a shame he never got his dpoy honestly imo

Much higher impact than MJ ever had

Lebron protects the rim much better and is more versatile

MJ has the edge in steals and maybe man D, but less versatile

i feel like lebron career is a bit shafted in individual accolades tbh. at least in comparision to other all time greats

he is probably a better defender at his than jordan, let alone kobe but didnt get a dpoy which will forever be a festher in mj cap in comparisions

he is a better defender than kobe at any age but doesnt get much (any) respect in all D awards compared to older kobe

younger fans in the future will get a very inacurrate picture of lebron defense when they see the more paedestrian amount of defensive accolades

[trickshot]

Watch on YouTube

Was LeBron always this good at stripping people in the post/paint? The emblematic LeBron defense post possession to me is they get a heavily contested shot off and can't really make progress against Bron, not Bron turning it into layups on the other end after a swipe.

Anyone have some idea bout his deflection rate/strips/etc. over the years?

He’s always been really good from my eye test, not sure about the actual data

He was great at stripping or blocking Duncan in the last couple of finals they played

It’s a shame he never got his dpoy honestly imo

Much higher impact than MJ ever had

Lebron protects the rim much better and is more versatile

MJ has the edge in steals and maybe man D, but less versatile

i feel like lebron career is a bit shafted in individual accolades tbh. at least in comparision to other all time greats

he is probably a better defender at his than jordan, let alone kobe but didnt get a dpoy which will forever be a festher in mj cap in comparisions

he is a better defender than kobe at any age but doesnt get much (any) respect in all D awards compared to older kobe

younger fans in the future will get a very inacurrate picture of lebron defense when they see the more paedestrian amount of defensive accolades

Two time DPOY runner up. That's all anyone needs to know if they're too casual to look up the numbers or watch games. It's not like they have a real case to deny he was great at defense outside a lowlight or 2.

[kayess]

Anyone know what's happening with Schroeder?

Boston's offering him the MLE, can the Lakers match that and then S&T him to Boston or something?

[Mos_Heat]

Anyone know what's happening with Schroeder?

Boston's offering him the MLE, can the Lakers match that and then S&T him to Boston or something?

They can S'n'T him only if it's 3+ years on a deal

[kayess]

Anyone know what's happening with Schroeder?

Boston's offering him the MLE, can the Lakers match that and then S&T him to Boston or something?

They can S'n'T him only if it's 3+ years on a deal

So if someone offers him a one year deal the Lakers can only match or let him go?

That would royally suck especially since the cost was Green and a pick

[Mazter]

he is a better defender than kobe at any age but doesnt get much (any) respect in all D awards compared to older kobe

His defense was very well respected by coaches and was selected 6 consecutive times All D by them. Then...somehow after 46 years, they decided that it should be a panel of writers who should select All D. At that moment somehow LeBron wasn't capable of defending anymore, at least not All D worthy.

[nzahir]

Still don’t know how a contender hasn’t snagged Millsap

Would like him and or another 3/4 Ike Ariza

Save a spot for a buyout guy as well

[zimpy27]

Effectively Lakers could have had this team for same price as current team:

Schröder, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Caruso, KCP, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
THT, Ellington, Monk, Melo, Isaiah Jackson

Instead it's likely:

Westbrook, Ellington, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Nunn, THT, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
Monk, Melo, Dudley

Less depth but is it a better team?

[falcolombardi]

he is a better defender than kobe at any age but doesnt get much (any) respect in all D awards compared to older kobe

His defense was very well respected by coaches and was selected 6 consecutive times All D by them. Then...somehow after 46 years, they decided that it should be a panel of writers who should select All D. At that moment somehow LeBron wasn't capable of defending anymore, at least not All D worthy.

i think most writers are too unreliable in their votes, and even more so for defense and too prone to just picking household names over and over until a new name starts failing traction

they are like Oscar voters who dont actually watch the movies they are asked to vote for (true story)

[Dupp]

Effectively Lakers could have had this team for same price as current team:

Schröder, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Caruso, KCP, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
THT, Ellington, Monk, Melo, Isaiah Jackson

Instead it's likely:

Westbrook, Ellington, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Nunn, THT, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
Monk, Melo, Dudley

Less depth but is it a better team?

What about the top team but with Kemba over Schroeder... seems possible

[Slava]

Effectively Lakers could have had this team for same price as current team:

Schröder, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Caruso, KCP, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
THT, Ellington, Monk, Melo, Isaiah Jackson

Instead it's likely:

Westbrook, Ellington, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Nunn, THT, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
Monk, Melo, Dudley

Less depth but is it a better team?

Instead of Isiah Jackson, you could also try getting Aaron Holiday & someone like JT Thor in a trade with Pacers for #22. In that scenario, you could let Schröder walk and retain both THT/Caruso to avoid strict tax, while still having the MLE to use on Nunn.

Gasol - Howard - Thor
Davis - Ariza
LeBron - KCP - Bazemore
Hield - Caruso - Monk - Ellington
Nunn - Holiday - THT

That's a hell of a deep team. However, I don't think dudes like Monk, Bazemore, Ellington and Ariza would be here if they knew they'd be stapled to the bench behind that kind of depth and none of those dudes have the playmaking chops of a Russell Westbrook, so its kind of a false logic.

The opportunity cost of not keeping KCP or Caruso opens the door for Monk, Ellington, Ariza etc.

[Mos_Heat]

Anyone know what's happening with Schroeder?

Boston's offering him the MLE, can the Lakers match that and then S&T him to Boston or something?

They can S'n'T him only if it's 3+ years on a deal

So if someone offers him a one year deal the Lakers can only match or let him go?

That would royally suck especially since the cost was Green and a pick

Sort of, I don't think Schroder would agree to play in LA for the same price

[trickshot]

Effectively Lakers could have had this team for same price as current team:

Schröder, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Caruso, KCP, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
THT, Ellington, Monk, Melo, Isaiah Jackson

Instead it's likely:

Westbrook, Ellington, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Nunn, THT, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
Monk, Melo, Dudley

Less depth but is it a better team?

I think adding Monk and Nunn to AC and THT would have been enough. Anyway regarding that depth chart I dont think Ellington will feature much and has zero chances of being a starter by christmas. I'm tipping Monk to be a starter. Not that I've seen him extensively but I'm predicting his style of doing work off the catch will mesh well with Lebron and Westbrook. Similar case with JR.

The spacers have to be volume finishers if that makes any sense. With Westbrook Gasol will also have to shoot more to keep his place. Imo AD will eventually be forced to play 5 to bring in another volume shooter to the starting lineup. Also to go all in on transition basketball. Have to go all in on the Westbrook experience to not have the offense looking dysfunctional. I think Caruso might have been the first compromise and there'll be more to come. We'll see if it pays off at the end of the year.

[zimpy27]

Effectively Lakers could have had this team for same price as current team:

Schröder, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Caruso, KCP, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
THT, Ellington, Monk, Melo, Isaiah Jackson

Instead it's likely:

Westbrook, Ellington, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Nunn, THT, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
Monk, Melo, Dudley

Less depth but is it a better team?

I think adding Monk and Nunn to AC and THT would have been enough. Anyway regarding that depth chart I dont think Ellington will feature much and has zero chances of being a starter by christmas. I'm tipping Monk to be a starter. Not that I've seen him extensively but I'm predicting his style of doing work off the catch will mesh well with Lebron and Westbrook. Similar case with JR.

The spacers have to be volume finishers if that makes any sense. With Westbrook Gasol will also have to shoot more to keep his place. Imo AD will eventually be forced to play 5 to bring in another volume shooter to the starting lineup. Also to go all in on transition basketball. Have to go all in on the Westbrook experience to not have the offense looking dysfunctional. I think Caruso might have been the first compromise and there'll be more to come. We'll see if it pays off at the end of the year.

Yeah, I could see that happening with Monk if he can bring that range and confidence. It's going to be a bit of pressure, I don't think it's easy to project who can deliver the 3s.

I'm more interested in what they do in the playoffs but they will have many minutes for the better players to rise up.

Right now I think the most reliable 9 guys for playoffs are:
Westbrook, Bazemore, LeBron, Davis, Gasol -- Nunn, THT, Ariza, Howard

Monk, Ellington and Melo remain the most questionable to me at this point.

[trickshot]

Effectively Lakers could have had this team for same price as current team:

Schröder, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Caruso, KCP, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
THT, Ellington, Monk, Melo, Isaiah Jackson

Instead it's likely:

Westbrook, Ellington, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Nunn, THT, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
Monk, Melo, Dudley

Less depth but is it a better team?

I think adding Monk and Nunn to AC and THT would have been enough. Anyway regarding that depth chart I dont think Ellington will feature much and has zero chances of being a starter by christmas. I'm tipping Monk to be a starter. Not that I've seen him extensively but I'm predicting his style of doing work off the catch will mesh well with Lebron and Westbrook. Similar case with JR.

The spacers have to be volume finishers if that makes any sense. With Westbrook Gasol will also have to shoot more to keep his place. Imo AD will eventually be forced to play 5 to bring in another volume shooter to the starting lineup. Also to go all in on transition basketball. Have to go all in on the Westbrook experience to not have the offense looking dysfunctional. I think Caruso might have been the first compromise and there'll be more to come. We'll see if it pays off at the end of the year.

Yeah, I could see that happening with Monk if he can bring that range and confidence. It's going to be a bit of pressure, I don't think it's easy to project who can deliver the 3s.

I'm more interested in what they do in the playoffs but they will have many minutes for the better players to rise up.

Right now I think the most reliable 9 guys for playoffs are:
Westbrook, Bazemore, LeBron, Davis, Gasol -- Nunn, THT, Ariza, Howard

Monk, Ellington and Melo remain the most questionable to me at this point.

For sure, I agree. Bazemore isn't too reliable on offense though so people need to manage expectations. If I could condense current Bazemore into 2 clips this would be it

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Bonus:

Watch on YouTube

edit I recently posted a stat that went something like "Wes missed every 3 point shot he attempted in 25 of his first 50 games for the Lakers" however I still think the Lakers would still be better keeping him over Kent. Wes at least has a nose for making plays on defense, it's just that he's so damn streaky. Warriors bench garnered a bit of a reputation as g-leaguers and there were times Bazemore certainly looked the part.

[zimpy27]

I think adding Monk and Nunn to AC and THT would have been enough. Anyway regarding that depth chart I dont think Ellington will feature much and has zero chances of being a starter by christmas. I'm tipping Monk to be a starter. Not that I've seen him extensively but I'm predicting his style of doing work off the catch will mesh well with Lebron and Westbrook. Similar case with JR.

The spacers have to be volume finishers if that makes any sense. With Westbrook Gasol will also have to shoot more to keep his place. Imo AD will eventually be forced to play 5 to bring in another volume shooter to the starting lineup. Also to go all in on transition basketball. Have to go all in on the Westbrook experience to not have the offense looking dysfunctional. I think Caruso might have been the first compromise and there'll be more to come. We'll see if it pays off at the end of the year.

Yeah, I could see that happening with Monk if he can bring that range and confidence. It's going to be a bit of pressure, I don't think it's easy to project who can deliver the 3s.

I'm more interested in what they do in the playoffs but they will have many minutes for the better players to rise up.

Right now I think the most reliable 9 guys for playoffs are:
Westbrook, Bazemore, LeBron, Davis, Gasol -- Nunn, THT, Ariza, Howard

Monk, Ellington and Melo remain the most questionable to me at this point.

For sure, I agree. Bazemore isn't too reliable on offense though so people need to manage expectations. If I could condense current Bazemore into 2 clips this would be it

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Bonus:

Watch on YouTube

edit I recently posted a stat that went something like "Wes missed every 3 point shot he attempted in 25 of his first 50 games for the Lakers" however I still think the Lakers would still be better keeping him over Kent. Wes at least has a nose for making plays on defense, it's just that he's so damn streaky.

I like Wes too and I expect they bring him back, he will duke it out with Baze and Ariza for the SF role in the strong Laker lineup I think. Kent is a solid defender and had a strong year last year but can be boneheaded.

Ellington is effectively Buddy Hield but a worse defender, if they can somehow be a good defensive team with Ellington then they will be very good. It's a big IF. Optimistically though their best lineup is Westbrook, Ellington, Baze/Wes/Ariza, LeBron, Davis.

[Mos_Heat]

Effectively Lakers could have had this team for same price as current team:

Schröder, Hield, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Caruso, KCP, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
THT, Ellington, Monk, Melo, Isaiah Jackson

Instead it's likely:

Westbrook, Ellington, LeBron, Davis, Gasol
Nunn, THT, Bazemore, Ariza, Howard
Monk, Melo, Dudley

Less depth but is it a better team?

Hield route better simply because it's more flexible. You could've traded Schroder, Caruso, KCP for pieces down the road. Current iteration stuck with Westbrook for 2 years, and have almost zero ways to improve during the season or next summer