It is no secret that Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system is one that intends to speed up the game and maximize the number of possessions. When you do that, however, there is a good chance that players will get tired quicker making depth a necessity.
With the additions the Lakers have made in free agency this offseason that is something the Lakers believe they now have and plan to use to their advantage this season. Appearing on ESPN 710 today, Coach D’Antoni said he expects many Lakers to play a lot this season:
I foresee 11 guys playing a lot of minutes. 11 guys getting involved, 11 guys that are getting us to be more uptempo.
This could be a very positive thing for the Lakers as they have added numerous solid role players like Nick Young, Jordan Farmar, Wesley Johnson and Chris Kaman. When you add them to returners like Jodie Meeks, Jordan Hill, and Steve Blake plus rookie additions Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris, it becomes obvious that the Lakers have a lot of guys capable of contributing on the floor in different ways.
Among those 11 guys D’Antoni wants to play there are also some serious shooters to stretch the floor and D’Antoni also hinted that he may want the Lakers to shoot more three pointers this season:
I’d like to be (more uptempo) but I have to watch the players. Do we want to shoot a lot of 3s? That’s where the league is going.
The Lakers seem to have significantly improved their depth this season and if they can assimilate the new players with the returning veterans with the help of an entire training camp, get a healthy season from Steve Nash, and a return to form from Pau Gasol, there is no doubt the Lakers can make some noise this season.
While the Lakers may have lost a star this offseason, they have a lot more contributors on the team as a result.
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