The Lakers Exceptionalism Podcast

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers quiet offseason so far but take a deep dive into Deandre Ayton, how his skillset fits into what we were looking for in a Big next to Luka, identifying how he can be more impactful in LA than he was in Portland, and later, dig into what Jake LaRavia brings to the team, including where he should play positionally, how his role might change on the Lakers. Finally, we discuss what De'Anthony Melton would bring if the team were able to add him to the roster. Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Check out our Discord...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the most important Center skills necessary for whatever Big the Lakers will look to add and rank them from most to least important for the 25-26 Roster. Later, they dig into 11 different trade or free agent options and how they stack up next to what the team needs most. Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Check out the LakersEx Discord -- link in description!Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord here!

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball return with a dive into how the Lakers season ended in the 1st round, including what went wrong with their scheme, how JJ Redick relied on the wrong adjustments, why the team didn't play Jaxson Hayes in the final 6 quarters, and what to make of JJ's first season as head coach. Check out our Discord, link below! Music by @sleepyghostmp3Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord here!

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the disappointing Game 3 loss, breaking down the adjustments (or lack thereof) on both sides of the ball, how and why the turnovers should (hopefully) be a one-off, how the Lakers haven't figured out the Wolves switching defense, and dig into some reasons for optimism in Game 4. Check out our Discord in the link in the description! Music by @sleepyghostmp3Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord here!

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball hop on with Jovan Buha, senior Lakers writer for the Athletic and host of the Buha's Block podcast (link in description), to breakdown the Lakers disappointing Game 1 Loss to Minnesota and provide our takeaways, adjustments, and a little bit of exceptionalism. Music by @sleepyghostmp3Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord here!

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball dive DEEP into both sides of the ball to find any and every possible advantage the Lakers can gain from the Wolves matchup. Topics include: How to guard Anthony Edwards, what to do with Julius Randle in the post, how the Lakers defensive scheme will stack up, why the Lakers 3-headed Playmaker group will dictate terms to Minnesota's defense, some plays that will work well, and why Minnesota's switchy lineup might not be their best bet against LA. Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Check out our Discord in the link in the description!Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball dive deep into the Lakers statement win in OKC by breaking down whether or not the team got lucky with their best shot making game of the season, how the team was able to generate open shots, why the Lakers playmakers could be difficult for OKC to guard in a playoff matchup, how the team slowed them down on defense, and later, a brief dive into the numbers of the lakers LBJ-Luka-DFS-Rui-Austin small ball lineup. Check out our Discord and follow us on Playback! Music by @sleepyghostmp3Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord here!

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball record immediately after the Suns Win to discuss how the Lakers looked much better vs Phoenix and stopped their 4-game losing streak. Topics include: an offensive organization rate overview of each game this week, and how the Brooklyn & Milwaukee games were concerning, while the almost upset in Denver was an encouraging game in more ways than one. Later, they discuss why the Lakers have a strong advantage in the upcoming Standings Watch portion of the season, with either direct Tiebreakers in H2H, or because of their 2nd best in the West Conference Record. Outro music...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the past 2 weeks from Lakers basketball, including how LA has been consistently declining in their organized vs freelance offense, how that trend negatively impacts their PPP & Offensive Rating, and why it isn't simply because of the trade. Later, they discuss the Lakers recent changes to their defensive scheme & why it's been leading the charge during this win streak, including how they're icing side Pick & Rolls, utilizing a strong side zone against Stars, how Luka has been a successful piece in the scheme, and why DFS, Vando & Gabe help unlock this particular scheme. Music by @sleepyghostmp3...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the week in Lakers basketball, briefly touching on the disappointing Charlotte loss and gritty Portland win before diving deep into the statement win at Denver. They break down why the Lakers' defensive gameplan worked, including how they "whited" Jokic in the post, how their defensive matchups showed a cohesive plan, their ability to limit Denver's Offensive Rebounding, and were able to filter shots to non-Jokic players. Later, they discuss LA's Offense, including why Luka eliminates their need to call drop-beating concepts, why the Lakers should have actually scored even MORE than they did, and...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss Luka's 1st 2 games as a Laker, including how the team has used him creatively on Offense, what types of actions & sets they've run, and how it all went wrong in the game at Utah. Later, they discuss the recent additions of Alex Len and Jordan Goodwin, and take questions from Discord and Playback.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the big trade of Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected 1st, and a 2030 pick swap for Mark Williams. They discuss how Mark's defense has been through his 1st 3 years, what he's good at and what he isn't, how he's an impressive but unpolished roll man finisher, his excellent Offensive Rebounding, what the team can do with his skill set. Later, they discuss the Lakers recent games against the Knicks and Clippers, and chat about what has been driving the team's success.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball react LIVE to the massive trade of AD, Max Christie, and JHS for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. We unpack some of Luka's data, what he brings to the team, how to position him defensively, how others on the team will shift their roles, how to craft a dominant offense with Bron & Luka, and how to craft the best possible roster this season (and beyond).

LAKERS EXCEPTIONALISM BAYBEE!!!!!!

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the first half of the Grammy trip, including how the team dominated in 1Q in Charlotte, how they dealt with missing AD in Philly, and what to do in the next week+ with him out of the lineup. Later, we check in with the team's offensive & defensive fundamentals post DFS trade, and chat about recent reports about Bruce Brown, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Day'Ron Sharpe.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss an eventful week in Lakers Basketball, including a recap of each game this week, including big Wins vs. Boston & Golden State, how much better the team defense has looked, whether the 2 Big lineups are working, and Vando's return. Later, they discuss some interesting comments from JJ Redick about the team's organized offense rate, and finally, talk about AD's recent interview with Shams and whether or not the team is worth investing in and how they should do it.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the past week in Lakers basketball, including the close Win vs Brooklyn, how LA played against the Miami Zone, and what went wrong in the 2nd half vs San Antonio. Later, they discuss the addition of Trey Jemison at the expense of Quincy Olivari, what it means for the team's plans around the backup 5 position, and whether or not the Jaxson Hayes-AD two Big lineup is a good idea. Finally, a brief segment on how good Austin has been this season as a Playmaker.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball return from the break for a MEGA POD. Topics include thoughts on the DFS for D'Lo swap, including what the team's looked post-trade, how the Offense has looked over the past few weeks, some Good (and Bad) of Austin's new PG Role, what's up with Dalton Knecht, and finally, discuss the possibility of trading for Walker Kessler.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball catch up on a week without a lot of actual basketball and break down recent rumors & injury news, discuss what the Lakers can do during their 4-day break between games to improve their scheme & execution, how and why the Lakers Post Play has been so much worse this season, and finally, regrade the Lakers' scheme after the first 24 games of the season. Find the Lakers Post Help Troubles video on the Lakers Exceptionalism YouTube (now live & for free).

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball breakdown the Lakers disastrous week, including some of the Postgame quotes from JJ Redick, LeBron & AD. Then, they check in on the Lakers' Organized Offense and how it's a result of poor coverage fits, execution, and shot making. Later, they discuss some recently reported trade targets and how they could (or could not) turn the Lakers season around.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers rough 1-4 week, including how the Offense has fallen off in the past several games, the motivation behind putting Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup, if the switching scheme is hurting their Defense, and whether or not the team has hit it's ceiling with this roster.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss Dalton Knecht's incredible week, including how he's been on fire for a week, the state of his effectiveness as an Off-Screen Shooter and where he can improve. Later, they discuss if the Lakers are a title contender by identifying some of their team fundamentals (ORTG, DRTG, and more). Where does LA need to improve to land in the handful of title contenders?

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the recent Starting Lineup change with Cam Reddish replacing D'Angelo Russell. Topics include, can Cam keep this level of play up, how has the overall lineups changed since the swap, how has the change effected AD & Bron's role & usage, how Dalton Knecht saved the Win vs Memphis, and a check-in on Player Roles and whether or not each player is being used the right way.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball take questions from the Discord. Topics include: What's up with Gabe and Max? Can Cam Reddish help until Vando returns? What's up with the Transition Defense? Should we make a trade soon or ride it out?

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers 1st 5 games, including how the Offensive Scheme has adapted since the Preseason, how Defensive Matchups with the Lakers current rotation could present an ongoing challenge, and finally -- what's up with Max Christie?

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball grade the JJ Redick's new scheme in different categories, including the Frequency of Sets, the Quality of Sets, how the player roles fit within their Organized Offense, and more!

Apologies for the audio quality in the first half, we experienced some technical difficulties -- but the second half is back to normal.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the recent comments from Jeanie Buss about giving JJ Redick some patience, "because this is not going to be easy for him", while reacting to some unconfirmed reports that Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for the Preseason. Later, they unpack how the Vando news could affect the rotation early in the season and how getting off to a strong start will be crucial for the teams' success.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the 5 ways the Lakers can improve going into the 23-24 Season. We break down 5 categories: Player Roles, Potential Trades/Acquisitions, Coaching Scheme, Player Health, and Rotations. Then, we rank each category on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of how likely they are, and how impactful they'll be.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball take a deeper look into the assistant coaching hires for JJ Redick's staff, do a quick Summer League debrief, discuss the lack of moves this Summer, and finally, how LeBron & AD have looked in the Olympics so far.

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This is a live draft reaction to the news that the Lakers selected Dalton Knecht. Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss Knecht's College data, watch various play types of his (P&R, C&S, DEF, etc) and give their initial impressions. Later, they're joined by Coach Hamlin (@coach_hamlin) to provide more analysis and context on Knecht's skills & role in his season at Tennessee. Go give Coach a follow and watch the full replay on Playback!

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the JJ Redick introductory press conference, including how JJ is "going to use math", what glimpses into his basketball philosophy we can unpack, who he could surround himself with on the bench, and what Rob Pelinka's comments could mean about this season's team building approach.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the firing of Darvin Ham and what direction the team could go with their Head Coach position. Later, they discuss the various reported candidates, including David Adelman, Micah Nori, Sam Cassell, Kenny Atkinson, Chris Quinn, and JJ Redick. Who is capable of coaching the team to success right away? What should the Lakers look for in a coach?

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers strong Game 4 performance, including which plays/sets were working the best, why LA has succeeded in guarding Jokic in the post, and what the Lakers could do to mitigate some areas where they've struggled.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the adjustments from Denver in Game 2, how the Lakers sets are still (mostly) working, and what LA can do to improve their execution in late game situations. We recorded this pod LIVE on Playback, where we watched Offensive Plays from the 4th Quarter. We tried to leave in parts of that conversation that were relevant without the video so you can still enjoy our coverage.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball hop on to discuss the 1st Round matchup with the Denver Nuggets, including a deep dive on Nikola Jokic's post ups & how (& how not) to guard him, how to navigate Murray Pick & Rolls, and what the Freelance Offense needs to do to have a shot in the series. We dug into both teams, both sides of the ball to find the most strategic advantages the Lakers can use to make another deep run in the Playoffs. Join us LIVE for the games on Playback!

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss their thoughts on the Lakers-Pelicans Play-In matchup, including why it's been such a one-sided matchup the last calendar year, how the Pelicans could adjust from the latest blowout, and whether or not the Lakers might tighten their rotation even more. Let's see if the Lakers can take care of business -- come watch the games with us on Playback live!

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss how the Lakers offense has performed since the All-Star break, including how D'Lo's Pull-Up 3PT game has been better than ever, why Rui has had such a big impact since entering the starting lineup, and how the final Regular Season Standings might shake out.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball return from the break to discuss the Lakers-Warriors game, how Spencer Dinwiddie has looked in his 1st 3 games, and dig into what to expect from the final 25 game segment of the season and where LA could realistically finish in the standings.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss what Spencer Dinwiddie brings to the team, including dissecting his Impact this season, how his Defensive role will help as a Guard with more size, and which players could benefit from his addition to the rotation. Later, they discuss whether or not there was a trade on the market that the guys wished the Lakers made.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers unexpected and spirited win in Boston without LeBron and AD, how Vando's injury and will complicate their development, and whether or not it will change their plans at the trade deadline.

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Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the return of the Opening Night Lakers starters, how the Lakers have been unlucky on defense, and how their organized offense has looked over the last few weeks.

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