Mike Brown looking to assign more responsibilities to the bigs in Los Angeles Lakers – NBA News
Mike Brown might not have had the opportunity to see the Los Angeles Lakers play under his watch, but he already has some ideas for the next season. The Lakers are set to change by no small measure as Mike Brown is looking to put
his own impression on the team.
The coach has sent a clear message; the Lakers would be focusing on post play next season.
Brown succeeds the legendary head coach Phil Jackson, who retired at the end of last season. Jackson left behind an enduring legacy as he won 5 NBA World Championships with the Lakers, mostly applying the triangle offense. The
system has served Los Angeles well in the past but Brown has already made it clear that it will not be employed next season.
Instead the Lakers are expected to focus on a fast paced system and to tighten up on defence. Brown, who was formerly with the Cleveland Cavaliers and guided them into the NBA Finals, has a reputation of being a defensive specialist.
That was one of the key factors behind his hiring and defence will therefore play a big part in the Lakers approach next season.
It is though the offense that remains the centre of attention. Kobe Bryant is the man who runs that show for Los Angeles currently, and has done for many years. However it is believed that Brown wants more participation from the
other players in the team and lesser responsibility on Kobe.
Brown previously had LeBron James at his disposal at Cleveland and the “Chosen One” used to pretty much make all the plays. The team also lacked many other scorers so that seemed a natural option. However Mike is looking for a
different system in Los Angeles.
He revealed in the interview that he would be looking to make use of the two talented big guys at Los Angeles’s disposal. Pau Gasol at power forward and Andrew Bynum at centre are formidable players with proven pedigree. Both are
arguably one of the best around the league in their given positions and Brown wants to exploit that next season.
“This team is completely different from what I had in Cleveland,” Brown said. “In Cleveland, I had a guy who liked to come off the top of the floor, liked to play in space and play pick-and-roll and make plays for others. Here,
I’ve got two guys similar to what we had in San Antonio; you’re able to throw them the ball on the block.”
It will be interesting to see if Brown is successful in implementing such a system. Although the Lakers have the two bigs required, they also posses Kobe Bryant who invariably scores bucket loads of points.
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