Jan 5, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with forwards Anthony Davis (3) and Montrezl Harrell (15) after scoring against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with forwards Anthony Davis (3) and Montrezl Harrell (15) after scoring against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Montrezl Harrell, the former Los Angeles Lakers player, recently sat down with senior NBA writer Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson for an unfiltered interview in which he discussed the new-look Lakers, among other things.
“Luka has already played on the floor with LeBron, so that helps out. With LeBron leaving, they already know who the face of the team is, so he won’t have to do anything extra as far as winning over the territory,” Montrezl Harrell said.
“The NBA right now is about who complements whose game. The Lakers are a completely different team than they were last year or two to three years ago when AD was on the team.”
“I think they are trying to turn themselves into more of a long-range shooting team as opposed to the older Lakers teams that had a dominant inside presence. The moves they’ve made are more about spacing the floor and shooting the ball from the bigger positions,” Harrell said.
In other words, Harrell believes LeBron James’ exit has clarified who the face of the NBA franchise is, and Luka Doncic playing with him for a little over one season would make the transition into the post-LeBron James era much more seamless.
Moreover, he thinks the current roster is built much smaller than the one he played on over five years ago. This means their offense will be built more around spacing the floor with three-point shooting, rather than a heavier inside presence like it had over the past few seasons.
Harrell played for the Lakers for only one season, but that was right after their bubble championship (2020-21 season). During that time, he averaged 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 62.2% from the floor before he was traded to the Wizards in August 2021 as part of the package that landed Russell Westbrook on the Lakers.
The 2020-21 roster had five players who were 6’10” or above in height, while the current roster has only one player (Walker Kessler). So, in terms of player size, the Lakers have certainly gone smaller since then.
One simple reason for the apparent shift in offensive philosophy may be the change at the top. Former coaches like Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham may have been fine with an offensive system built around attacking the paint.
But as a former NBA player known for his three-point shooting, their current head coach, JJ Redick, has more experience drawing up plays that threaten from deep rather than inside the paint.
With additions like Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Jaden Hardy, the team has certainly added some promising three-point shooters to the roster. But it will certainly be interesting to see how the Lakers run their offense in the post-LeBron James era.