When Jim Buss sat down with Eric Pincus for a wide ranging interview last month, his thoughts on everything from Kobe to analytics to the development of the team’s young players were thoroughly dissected. After all, it’s not often Buss opens up on the record and his comments get presented without an agenda or spin. In rereading Pincus’ interview, however, Buss did say one thing which did sort of go under the radar, but stands out to me more now:
“You can call him ‘old school,’ but what is he 50? He’s very flexible” said Buss. “He gets all the analytical parts of it, he’s not set in his ways. If he sees something that’s going to improve the team, he’s going to do it.”
If there’s one word Byron Scott has never really been associated with, it’s flexible. In fact, the perception of him has been quite the opposite. This is the guy who, over the course of his coaching career, has sat promising young players in favor of veterans who were either not as good or not part of any long term plan. He’s gone on record downplaying the importance of three point shots and said he had no use for analytics. Instead of flexible, he’s sounded more like a coach so stuck in his ways that the league had, seemingly, passed him by.
This summer, though, Byron has changed his tune. He has not necessarily done a complete 180 on all his established stances, but he’s come close.
For example, when asked about using analytics more this season, Scott told Bill Oram, “Yes, absolutely. I won’t go into those areas, but yes. … We will use them with every player we have.” When talking about how he would manage Kobe’s minutes, even if the game were close, Scott added “This is what we talked about, this is what we felt would be the best way to use you and to make you the most efficient that you could be, I’m going to stick to it. Win or lose, I’m going to stick to it.”
On top of that, when talking about the team’s young players, Scott seemed to put them at the forefront by saying flatly “I’m excited about going to training camp next week, seeing what Julius Randle can do, and how he’s developed…My future is Randle, Russell and Clarkson right now. Those three guys. We know that they’re going to be here for a number of years. We do know these young guys that we have are obviously the future of Los Angeles.”
He even explained, in an interview during one of the Lakers’ summer league games, that he does, in fact, value the three point shot and tried to provide clarification on wanting his team to shoot them. And while he later told Oram that the shot wouldn’t be the “focal point” of their offense, he did concede the team has plenty of guys who can shoot that shot well, taking at least a few steps in the direction away from his previous #hottake.
So, to summarize, in about a two-month span Scott has said the team will use analytics more, he will cut Kobe’s minutes and (essentially) put him on a pitch count, acknowledged the importance of his young players (basically tying his future to theirs), and even implied the team will shoot more three pointers. I don’t want to overplay this stuff, but is this the same guy who coached the team last year?
The answer to that question, of course, won’t be determined from any quotes or soundbites. It will play out on the floor via the actions and game-plans implemented.
The first time a crucial stretch of action unfolds or it looks like a game hangs in the balance but Kobe is up against his minutes threshold, will Scott turn to his HOF’er to bail out the team anyway? Will the young players be allowed to learn on the job by playing through mistakes or will they be replaced by a veteran alternative? If the team has a particularly poor shooting night from behind the arc, might we hear something about those are “good shots” and that he wants his players taking them or will post-game pressers mirror the more familiar rhetoric of last year?
Again, we don’t really know. What we do know is that Scott’s more recent comments imply we might in fact see something different from him this year. And, if we do, maybe Jim Buss is right and his head coach is more flexible than we all assumed.
vincent cocca says
i dont care im a laker fan true and true byron is our guy AND IM RIDING WITH HIM TILL THE WHEELS FALL OFF #BABYB
Craig W. says
Nuance and grey areas…this is where answers frequently lie. The blacks and whites of opinions frequently don’t give you much but a direction. Following the link in the last thread to the Jerry West comments was very instructive and we all should at least go back and read his comments.
Essentially, Golden State uses analytics, but they do not drive their decisions. Analytics is less than 50% of the evaluation equation. ‘Old school’ eye tests are equally, or more, important – especially for people with extensive experience. Byron Scott fits this description. He needs to understand and use analytics, but they probably will inform, rather than drive his decisions.
Another interesting link in the last thread was the one noting that long 2pt shots actually result in a higher percentage of ‘return’ baskets than do 3pt shots. Now that statistic should give Byron pause. Going forward it may also mean teams will give you more open long 2pt shots than 3ptrs, so the statistics may change in the future.
All this should inform the fan that being one thing or another may not be as important as being able to read the shadings in the space between the extremes.
PurpleBlood says
All this should inform the fan that being one thing or another may not be as important as being able to read the shadings in the space between the extremes.
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well put Craig –
Joe Houston says
The problem with the analytics crowd is depending on it requires that players remain the same. Players are not only different but they evolve. If a player spends practice working on a shot the numbers say is bad, why in the world should analytics drive his decision in game? I will take an inefficient supreme talent over efficient good or average player any day. This is a game and talent is the reason teams win. Not strategy, not numbers, its all about talent.
the other Stephen says
Welp, everybody get ready for some world war.
Craig W. says
MWP now has a formal invitation to the Lakers training camp. His tutoring of Randle will continue.
Baylor Fan says
The title of this article says it all. It is great that the Lakers have mathaletes analyzing the players. Scott’s track record suggests that he will not use them for critical decisions like offense and defense design. It looks like the contributions will be more to helping Vitti keep players on the floor over the course of the season.
West merely said that he does not need analytics to rank players. He would not be the best judge of talent in the game if he did. He did not call out specific teams with his anti-analytics comments (i.e. Philadelphia) but San Antonio certainly does a good job of integrating analytics into its program.
Mid-Wilshire says
Several things this year, I believe, will determine Byron’s future with the Lakers. (I am neither a Byron Scott partisan nor a detractor.)
1) Obviously, the team’s win/loss record (which will be of far more importance to him than it will be to me) will be critical to Scott’s future; if the Lakers record another 20-something win season, then Byron could be on fairly thin ice; if the Lakers improve to, say, 31 or 33 wins — I can’t see them winning more games than that — then that would translate to a 10-12 game improvement which would be substantial for any team; if that happens, then he could be fairly safe, at least for another year;
2) The development of the young players, especially the “core” group of Russell, Clarkson, and Randle, will also be key; those 3 must improve over the season and they must demonstrate, to some degree, that they are indeed the future of the Lakers; but it will also be important that other young players show improvement as well this coming year — Tarik Black, perhaps, or Jabari Brown or Larry Nance, Jr. or Anthony Brown, or Robert Upshaw or Jonathan Holmes; if there is not a sense of critical mass of future talent arising from this season, then I think Byron’s job could be very much in jeopardy; he’s going to need more than 3 players to rely on going forward; and
3) Byron’s flexibility, as Darius mentions above, with regard to analytics and 3-point shooting will also be important; if Byron shows receptivity to those areas, then I think he will have redeemed himself…somewhat.
The bottom line, of course, at least in Byron’s eyes, is wins. The bottom line for me is the development of our young players. If he achieves both, then he will probably have earned himself another year or two.
We shall see.