Mike Brown, Lakers excited about Princeton offense

Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN wrote:As expected, Lakers Media Day in El Segundo was a morning filled with wall-to-wall excitement. Excitement at the additions of Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison. Excitement at the team's legitimate depth. Excitement at the prospects of being among a handful of teams considered serious contenders for the 2013 championship.

But there was also excitement about the implementation of elements from the Princeton offense, a blueprint largely designed by new assistant coach Eddie Jordan. At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, the Lakers' offense left something to be desired last season. Obviously, extenuating circumstances -- the lockout, practices rarer than the sighting of a bald eagle, a lack of perimeter players beyond Kobe Bryant and, for a bit, Ramon Sessions -- accounted for some issues. But the Lakers weren't the only team negotiating those hurdles, so a trip to the drawing board was clearly in order. The Princeton should simultaneously add elements of structure and freedom, and as Mike Brown explained, it's a system he's always envisioned using under the right circumstances:

"I've always been fascinated with that offense ever since the days I was in Cleveland and it seemed like every year I was there we faced the Washington Wizards and Eddie Jordan in the first round. If you take away everybody's different abilities that they have in the NBA and how good or bad they are in those different aspects of the game offensively, and you turned everybody into robots or equated to being the same player, then I always felt that offense was the hardest to defend. The spacing is tremendous. The ball movement is tremendous. The ability to play a stress-free game was off the charts. So those things have always attracted me to it. I just never really had an understanding or the opportunity to implement it. Not only that, I never felt that Cleveland and I had the teams for it. You know, when you have a guy like LeBron (James), he's a pick and roll player. The same thing that Miami does for him down there, we did for him up in Cleveland. You try to play to your player's strengths.

"Here, after being with this team for a year, this is a very intelligent team, and they play very well when it comes to using a motion offense and using their intelligence."



Brown's right about his team's collective IQ being suitable for running the Princeton. Similarly, the high number of quality passers on this team makes for a nice match. Of course, it's also important to remember the Lakers won't be locked into this system in the strictest sense. As Brown explained in an August Q & A with BK and reiterated on Monday, the freedom to initiate pick-and-roll action will be afforded at the top of most possessions. Given the presences of Steve Nash as quarterback, Dwight Howard as a roller extraordinaire, and Kobe and Pau Gasol as excellent P/R weapons, not doing so would be silly. And whatever positive elements from last season's offense will be carried over. Phil Jackson's Lakers didn't run triangle on every sequence, and it wouldn't surprise me if Brown's Lakers were even looser with the Princeton. But it's always beneficial to have a system in your back pocket to center yourself during rough or sloppy stretches.



Plus, there's the benefit of familiarity. Jamison ran Jordan's offense during his days as a Wizard, so the sixth man's learning curve with his new team may be less steep. Metta World Peace is familiar with the principles, having run similar action with the Kings. Kobe and Pau can do motion offense in their sleep. And Steve Blake played under Jordan in D.C., so he has a good idea what the offense is about. Thus, he may not be able to participate in some of training camp due to a foot injury, but at least he'll have first-hand experience with what he's watching from the sideline.

As for Nash, this system will probably require some adjustments as a ball-dominant point guard, but his thoughts on the finished product and Princeton's ultimate purpose were quite optimistic.

"I think the new offense will be many things. I think it will give us an opportunity to space the floor. Give us an opportunity to have balance. Read and react off each other and make it difficult for the defense to make decisions and make it difficult for the defense to load up on any one or two players. I think that's an offense that can fit very well with our talent. It will allow us to hopefully have an understanding to where we're flowing instead of being regimented and predictable. It's a good opportunity for us to really build something together.

Below are more videos from Jamison and Blake discussing the Princeton.

"Here, after being with this team for a year, this is a very intelligent team, and they play very well when it comes to using a motion offense and using their intelligence."

Lakerjones wrote: I'm fine with Princeton offense as long as they don't always feel compelled to stick to it. Basically you have the best pick and roll guard playing alongside two of the best pick and roll big men you could ever ask for it. I would run that into the ground until someone showed they could stop it. The elephant in the room might be Kobe and how he's going to get touches if that's the case, but Kobe and Pau pick and roll is also excellent as I would imagine Kobe and Dwight Howard would be as well!! In addition of course you can just have Nash probe and find guys like Kobe, Artest and Pau rolling to the hoop off ball.

Everything becomes much simpler when you have someone like Nash on board. You can run anything you like basically, and even better just leave it up to the players. You have guys who know how to play. I'd love to see more of that off ball movement Kobe experimented with last year a little. When you have guys like Howard, Pau and Artest to set screens for Kobe and a guy like Nash to hit him with the rock in catch and shoot position? Oh my. It's just absurd.

I hope that most of the time they don't try to get too complicated with the Princeton. These guys are like an All Star team as a starting lineup. You have so much IQ, so much experience, so much talent and the pieces all fit. Just let 'em play.

JSM wrote:

Lakerjones wrote: I'm fine with Princeton offense as long as they don't always feel compelled to stick to it. Basically you have the best pick and roll guard playing alongside two of the best pick and roll big men you could ever ask for it. I would run that into the ground until someone showed they could stop it. The elephant in the room might be Kobe and how he's going to get touches if that's the case, but Kobe and Pau pick and roll is also excellent as I would imagine Kobe and Dwight Howard would be as well!! In addition of course you can just have Nash probe and find guys like Kobe, Artest and Pau rolling to the hoop off ball.

Everything becomes much simpler when you have someone like Nash on board. You can run anything you like basically, and even better just leave it up to the players. You have guys who know how to play. I'd love to see more of that off ball movement Kobe experimented with last year a little. When you have guys like Howard, Pau and Artest to set screens for Kobe and a guy like Nash to hit him with the rock in catch and shoot position? Oh my. It's just absurd.

I hope that most of the time they don't try to get too complicated with the Princeton. These guys are like an All Star team as a starting lineup. You have so much IQ, so much experience, so much talent and the pieces all fit. Just let 'em play.

After reading the Q&A with Jordan, he made it clear that the primary offense will be Nash pushing the ball, reading the D, and reacting. If he doesn't see anything, then they'll fall into the offense.

Here's that thread:
lakers-discussion/lal-camp-eddie-jordan-t135889.html

therealdeal wrote:^ LJ I think you're off on this one.

No one is talking down the pick and roll at all. That's going to be option #1. How is that talking down the pick and roll? Nash's first choice is P&R and I was excited to read that Orlando used a form of the Princeton with their high screen/roll with Dwight. That high screen/roll is going to work beautifully here. Howard pick for Nash, Nash either drops to Howard or hits Kobe on the opposite wing. Kobe is either wide open or Dwight gets a lob.

Bang. That's going to be bread and butter.

JSM wrote:^ To piggyback on the above discussion a little...I think they'll be a very healthy dose of the P&R/P&P, I see no possibly way for it to be ignored. If Nash gets to QB the offense before setting in the offense, he'll often dive into a P&R play either out of habit, comfort, or knowing it's our best play against the opponent most night.

I agree, I think this will really help the bench too and prevent them running around like chickens with the head cut off, like they did last season. Having real talent and an actual pecking order starting with Jamison, followed by Meeks will do wonders, too. I think Blake really needs that sense of structure and it helps this is a structure he is familiar with (ditto for Jamison). Nash needs to sit for 16 minutes a night...hopefully more some nights, so whatever can be done to maximize Blake and allow that to happen, I'm all for.

Not to mention if we didn't bring in a new system -- like the Princeton offense -- then we wouldn't have bulked up our coaching staff to the degree which we did. Anything that lessens the role of Mike Brown on this club is a huge plus. Jordan is a quality hire, even if he was teaching an offense we'd never use, I'd still be all for it just for everything else he brings to the club. And he's just one chair away from being head coach...same goes for Bernie.

therealdeal wrote:True.

What a great problem to have... "Oh we should dominate with the pick and roll" "Really? because I think we should dominate through a system offense."

How many other teams can have anything like this conversation. Think about Miami or Oklahoma City and their "let's just run fast" offense. Or Boston and their pick-pick-pick-and-pop offense. We'ev got so many weapons and opportunities... This is going to be an amazing season.