Já que esse tal de Tales não postou as de hoje ainda, então vou colocar a do quinteto titular do Lakers que eu encontrei por aí:
STEVE NASH:
Scouting report
+ Genius pick-and-roll operator who shreds defenses with passes from either hand.
+ One of the best outside shooters in history. Burns any defense playing under screens.
+ Takes charges, but a mediocre defender because of limited lateral quickness.
Analysis
So, which amazing Nash stat would you like to see first? Let's start with shooting, which remains the most underrated part of his game. Nash led all point guards in true shooting percentage, again, and in 2-point shooting percentage, again, and led the league in shooting on midrange jumpers, again.
He was first from outside 10 feet, but the more amazing feat came in the longest 2s, outside 16 feet. There he shot 53.8 percent (see chart), lapping the rest of the league in this category … even though as a point guard he was taking nearly all these shots off the dribble (the other leaders were all bigger players shooting them off the catch).
Top shooters from 16-23 feet, 2011-12
Player Team FG%
Steve Nash Phx 53.8
Dirk Nowitzki Dal 50.3
Jared Dudley Phx 49.4
Jason Smith NO 48.1
Brandon Bass Bos 48.0
Min. 150 attempts. Source: Hoopdata.com
Nash shot the ball less and turned it over more than in previous seasons, offering a slight glimpse into the possibility that at age 38 he might be losing effectiveness. Might. He was also fourth in pure point rating, shot 39.0 percent on 3s (a shot he actually should take more, and might, in L.A.) and despite all the worries about his health in 2011-12, Nash missed eight games or fewer for the 11th straight season.
However, he's taking the low-risk thing to extremes at the defensive end. Nash had, by far, the lowest foul rate in basketball, committing just 53 the entire season. He also had the lowest steal rate among point guards, and while he takes the occasional charge, he spent most of the season hidden away against non-scorers while Ronnie Price or Grant Hill covered any threatening point guard. Given the personnel in L.A., it will be more difficult for him to take that approach.
KOBE BRYANT:
Scouting report
+ Devastating post-up guard who makes midrange jumpers over the top of defenses.
+ Excellent ball handler for his size. Sees floor, can create and finish. Natural scorer.
+ Smart defender but his intensity fluctuates. Rarely asked to defend good players.
Analysis
Bryant led the NBA in usage rate by a wide margin (see chart) and very nearly led it in points per minute as well, finishing a 10th of a point behind Kevin Durant in points per 40 minutes -- an amazing feat for a player age 33. Bryant looked spry coming out of the lockout in particular, racking up four straight 40-point games in January. However, he cooled off considerably the rest of the way, most notably while shooting 38.7 percent in March. He was in the top five in player efficiency rating (PER) in the first half of the season but finished 17th.
Usage Rate Leaders, 2011-12
Player Team Usage Rate
Kobe Bryant LAL 33.0
Russell Westbrook OKC 30.4
Derrick Rose Chi 30.4
Deron Williams Nets 29.8
LeBron James Mia 29.8
Min. 500 minutes
All this points to a potential hurdle ahead: As Bryant gets older, he inevitably needs to take on a reduced offensive role, but might be reluctant to do so. The additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard only accelerate this discussion; iso-ing Kobe now looks to be the third-best option after a Nash pick-and-roll and a Gasol-to-Howard high-low.
Bryant can still fill it up, of course, and fairly efficiently. He hit 41.4 percent on long 2s while taking more than 11 a game (!), converted 66.2 percent at the rim and still drew a free throw for every three field goal attempts (12th among shooting guards) thanks to all his assorted shot fakes. And in his defense, the Lakers had one perimeter player who could create a shot -- Bryant -- so if the post game broke down, he needed to create.
That said, he could spread the wealth a little more. Bryant finished 51st out of 61 shooting guards in pure point rating, and his high turnover ratio was a sign of how much more often he's working in tight spaces -- mostly on midrange post-ups -- than earlier in his career.
He also needs to chill on the iso 3-pointers. Bryant can make them off the catch and likely will have more opportunities to do so next season, but he took nearly five triples a game in 2011-12 and made only 30.3 percent.
Bryant's annual All-Defense selections make a mockery of the idea that head coaches are actually doing the voting. He picks his spots and rarely has to guard good wings. Nobody would place him among the league's elite stoppers. That said, he's still effective. The Lakers allowed 2.7 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court and he held opposing shooting guards to a 12.8 PER. He's also a strong rebounder who ranked in the top quarter of all shooting guards and was able to generate solid rates of blocks and steals while preserving a very low foul rate.
METTA WORLD PEACE:
Scouting report
+ Elite one-on-one wing defender with quick hands, superior strength and good feet.
+ Has lost a step and can't jump at all. Struggles chasing through screens.
+ Very poor finisher. Poor shot selection. Can make corner 3s.
Analysis
It was like two different seasons for World Peace, who had an absolutely brutal start (4.7 ppg on 33.5 percent shooting in first half of the season) before a very strong finishing kick in which he averaged 14.1 points in April.
But on a meta level (sorry), he ended up with virtually identical stats to his 2010-11 campaign. The most important of those, as always, were on the defensive end -- he had strong Synergy numbers, held opposing small forwards to an 11.8 PER, and the Lakers gave up 1.9 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court.
Offensively, there's more reason for concern. World Peace made only 29.6 percent of his 3s on the season, and even in his late-season surge he still struggled from deep. While his 60.1 percent mark in the paint is encouraging -- he's struggled as a finisher there in the past -- his most important role is as a corner 3-point shooter, and he failed in that.
Lowest Average Assist Quality, 2011-12
Player Team Assist Quality
Metta World Peace LAL .503
Sundiata Gaines Nets .520
Blake Griffin LAC .521
Kevin Martin Hou .522
Jordan Farmar Nets .524
League average .667
Source: Hoopdata.com. Min. 100 assists
World Peace is a sneaky good ball handler who ranked fourth among small forwards in pure point rating, but there might be less here than meets the eye. According to my research on assist quality, World Peace's assists were the least valuable of any player who had at least a hundred dimes, adding an average of just .566 points to the Laker bottom line (see chart).
PAU GASOL:
Scouting report
+ Long, highly skilled post scorer with excellent dexterity and 18-foot range.
+ Smart player, sees floor well. Can make jump hook with either hand.
+ Blocks shots but lacks strength and can be bullied on blocks. Good rebounder.
Analysis
The impression was that the Lakers forgot about Gasol last season as they sought to feed Andrew Bynum, but his usage rate hardly budged. What really happened is Gasol was forced to search out shots from the perimeter since Bynum was in his preferred perch on the left block.
Gasol took more than six long 2s a game and fewer shots inside 10 feet; he even dabbled with the corner 3, compiling 28 tries. To his credit, Gasol hit 44.2 percent of his long 2s a stellar percentage -- but the toll of all those J's on his overall shooting percentage was inevitable. He also earned a career-low four free throw attempts per game.
Gasol is a great high-low passer, though, who ranked fourth among power forwards in pure point rating, and Bynum allowed him to show off those skills repeatedly. One can only imagine what he might do with Dwight Howard in those sets. Nonetheless, this is a suboptimal usage of Gasol's talents and was one of the reasons most Laker trade speculation centered on him.
Gasol's less recognized talent is that he's always on the floor. Only one power forward had a lower foul rate, and Gasol has good stamina. As a result, he played more than 37 minutes a game for a fourth straight season -- vital considering how paper-thin L.A.'s frontcourt depth was a year ago. In four full seasons as a Laker, he's missed just 19 games.
Defensively, Gasol isn't quite a natural at either frontcourt spot but is more comfortable at the 4. The exception is when he has to guard face-up 4s who can handle the ball; guys like Al Harrington just kill him. His large on-court vs. off-court differential isn't surprising given the wasteland L.A. had behind him, but he also had a strong Synergy rating and opponent data on 82games.com. Subjectively, his length is more of a plus and his lack of strength less of an issue at the 4, and against most opponents he has the dexterity to play the position.
DWIGHT HOWARD:
Scouting report
+ Dominant physical force who overpowers foes with strength and athleticism.
+ Awesome defensive player. Blocks shots, covers pick-and-roll and owns boards.
+ Can make short-range banks and hooks, but post game lacks refinement.
Analysis
Here's how good Howard is: Even coasting through the season while pushing for a trade and his coach's removal, he was still probably the best center in the league. Clearly his defensive effort was not at its usual level, but he almost can't help but be dominating on that end given his size and mobility. In addition to the blocks and rebounds, he was ninth among centers in steals per minute. Howard still got top-notch grades from Synergy, and the Magic gave up 6.8 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court.
Howard also led the NBA in defensive rebound rate and finished second overall, a pretty amazing accomplishment considering he's not a specialist in this category like, say, Reggie Evans or Marcus Camby.
Defensive Rebound Rate Leaders, 2011-12
Player Team Def. Rebound Rate
Dwight Howard Orl 33.1
Marcus Camby Por/Hou 32.7
Aaron Gray Tor 28.3
Tim Duncan SA 28.2
Anderson Varejao Cle 26.8
Min. 500 minutes
A left-block post player, Howard passed out of the post and found shooters much better than before, resulting in a career-low turnover ratio, although it still yielded one of the worst pure point ratings in basketball. Alas, his foul shooting remains a huge weakness. Howard had one of the highest foul rates in basketball but converted only 49.1 percent from the stripe, dragging down his TS%.
When he wasn't fouled, Howard was a force, shooting 74.4 percent at the rim. He took nearly as many shots from 3 to 9 feet and shot a respectable 41.5 percent from that range. He still isn't a graceful post player, and one can fairly argue that doubling him is just playing into his hands, but he's slowly getting the hang of those little hooks and bank shots.
