Steve Nash probably never
thought he would be playing with the rival Los Angeles Lakers. After spending
his whole career with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, I’m sure Nash has
held a certain disdain for the franchise, especially with all of the playoff
battles between his Suns and the Kobe Bryant led Lakers in the mid 2000’s and
then again in 2010. This off season, Nash was a free agent looking for a new
home. Everyone knew the Lakers had their eye on the 38 year old point guard,
but nobody ever thought Nash would even consider Los Angeles to be his new
home; most of the attention was going toward the New York Knicks and their run
and gun style offense, and up north to his home country with the Toronto
Raptors. On top of those things, both of those teams had something that the
Lakers did not: Money to spend; Nash was offered 3 years and 36 million from
both teams, however Nash had decided that being close to his children was the
best option for him (not to mention an incredible opportunity to win an NBA
championship) and told the Suns Front Office to make a deal with the Lakers.
Seeing as how the season will start tomorrow, I think it’s time to take an
extensive look at the Lakers’ new point guard.
Nash might have the highest
offensive basketball I.Q. in the NBA. His court vision is rivaled only by Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics and his passing ability is tops in the League. His
6’3’’ frame helps him see over the top of his defender to identify passing
lanes and read the defense. While his listed 185 pound frame is a liability on
the defensive end, especially when he’s forced to switch onto shooting guards
or other taller, stronger opponents, on the offensive end, it’s a blessing; His
end to end speed is middle of the pack for point guards, but due to his weight,
he is able to keep his quickness in short distances, which outstanding and
helps him utilize screens to their full potential. Nash is the master of the
pick and roll offense; nobody has been this good at running it since John Stockton in Utah. Nash is a very gifted offensive player in nearly every
aspect. One of the most efficient perimeter players in NBA history, Nash’s
offensive game is a post-game away from being the most complete offense ever
witnessed. Teams cannot run any kind of defense aimed at stopping Nash because
even if you keep him off of the board, he knows how to beat you by passing the
ball. Jordan rules or double-teams would be especially ineffective against him
because of his court vision and surgeon-like precision when passing the ball.
Steve Nash is the most
important offensive player on the court on any given night because he brings so
much to the table. He’s not a typical scorer like teammate Kobe Bryant, and
he’s not strictly a point guard with no range on his jumper like Rondo. Nash is
something in between those two extremes; he can score with the best of them from
anywhere past the half court line and do it with efficiency from any range, all
while keeping his teammates involved and not turning them into spectators (a
problem Bryant had with the mid 2000’s Lakers).
Nash has slowly added more
and more to his offensive game. He’s one of the best shooters in the game: Last
season, Nash shot 53.2% from the floor, and his lowest percentage from any
range was 39% from 3 point range. He shot over 53.7% from every range inside of
the 3 point line except for 10-15 feet, where he still shot an efficient 49.5%.
His 74% shooting at the rim was one of the highest in the league, even higher
than teammate (and center) Dwight Howard.
He’s one of five players to
be a part of the 50/40/90 club (50% from the field/40% from 3 point range/90%
from the charity stripe), which is some very elite company as this club
includes Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Mark Price and Dirk Nowitzki, and has had
the most seasons being a part of it with 4. The main reason Nash is never in
the conversation for best player in the NBA is his defense; Nash is one of the
worst players in this aspect and is one of the only star players (and MVP’s)
ever to score a negative Defensive Win Share over a full season; Nash has never
had a 2 or higher DWS except for his MVP winning season in 2006. This is offset
by his spectacular offense, of course; however he has cost his teams more than
a few victories with bad defense.
The question now becomes:
how well can Nash fit into the Princeton Offense run by coach Mike Brown and
assistant Eddie Jordan?
Steve Nash is an excellent
shooter, so even if he’s not used to running the Princeton Offense, he still
provides value as a scorer. He will start nearly every possession with the ball
in his hands and will quarterback the Lakers’ offense. He dictates the tempo of
the offense, how the possession evolves and who gets the ball against certain
opponents or during certain situations; Nash will have freedom being the
triggerman of the offense. If Nash wants to run a pick and roll to start a
Lakers’ set, he can, if he wants to run a play where Bryant will get the ball
early and be the primary option, he can do that too. If it’s time to get Pau Gasol
or Howard a touch in the post, Nash can make that happen simply by organizing
his teammates and dictating how the play unfolds. Nash has that power for most
of his career, and he’s definitely earned it.
Coach Brown wants his team
playing at a faster tempo than they showed last season. In Brown’s introductory
press conference a year ago, one of his key offensive principles was to push
the ball up the floor. The only problem was that the Lakers didn’t really have
the personnel to do that (I’m looking at you, Andrew Bynum). This season, some
of the slower players are gone and that will allow Nash to increase the speed
at which the Lakers play. He’ll get more early offense opportunities and can
create more plays in transition.
The Lakers have the yang to
Nash’s yin in Dwight Howard. Simply put, Nash is one of the very best pick and
roll guards and the Lakers have themselves the most devastating pick and roll
finisher in Howard. Nash, according to Mike Brown, will have the opportunity to
run pick and rolls to start every possession if that’s what he chooses.
Whenever Howard and Nash share the floor, they’ll be able to go away from the
Princeton and instead unleash the play that’s been the bread and butter for
both of them for years. The ability to fall back on this should a play break
down really can’t be overvalued as it will keep the Lakers offense efficient,
and will get a good opportunity to score virtually every possession, and it
will keep Kobe Bryant from unleashing an extremely contested shot with the shot
clock down to only a few seconds.
The Lakers offense will be
much improved with the addition of Nash. Initial concerns were over defense,
but now that has been handled by getting Dwight Howard to provide weak-side
help on the defensive end. Nash could very well be the key to the Lakers
championship hopes next season.
