Mind the Game - LeBron on Fitting in with Luka, Bronny's Development and JJ Redick's Culture

Episode Date: November 28, 2025

There’s never a bad time to talk ball, especially with a holiday full of hoops. We're dropping in with a special gift episode where LeBron James and Steve Nash discuss LeBron’s time rehabbing in the G-League with the South Bay Lakers, how the offseason’s acquisitions of Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton are making a huge impact, Bronny James finding his footing in the NBA, and how Lakers head coach JJ Redick is the shaping the teams' culture in his image.James and Nash also go in-depth on trending NBA topics — what makes Nikola Jokic the most complete offensive player ever, how Eric Spoelstra has revolutionized the Miami Heat's offense again, and why less guys play 1-on-1 after practice.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up on this episode of Mind the Game. Can I just take a moment to talk about Nicola Yolkich making a joke out of the NBA every night? Let me ask you this. Is he the best offensive player you've ever played against? Wow, that's a tough question right there, Steve. How do you feel about fitting back into this Lakers' offense? Well, you got a great point guard like Luca, who creates so many eyes around him. You know, one of the best things I can do is, you know, slash in from that 45 degree.

And what about Brani? I was just super proud of him of the maturation process. What can you tell me about JJ's culture? He's going to tell you exactly how he feel if you're not doing it right, but it's going to be in a very stern, beloved way. Let's take a look at this Miami Heat offense. Basically, they're creating a funnel. So the guy comes down, they're keeping the elbows wide open,

and he's got the first opportunity to attack a defender who is retreating and help that's running back, and just to go one-on-one without a screen. I got to see it firsthand of how fast that they're playing, and the pick-a-rolless, you know, style of basketball that they're playing. And it takes a while for you to kind of get adjusted to it. Usually it's like a really good team try something. It works because they're a really good team.

Oh, yeah. And everyone else like you. I mean, I remember back in the day, like late 90s, everyone trying, people trying to triangle, yeah. The triangle, yeah. And it's like, well, it's, you know, they do have MP, Pippin, Dennis, you know what I mean? This episode is presented by the all-new Alexa Plus.

Your smart, proactive assistant now understands your style and anticipates what's next. Whether you need help finding a meaningful gift or planning a fun night out, you can enjoy a personalized experience based on your preferences. Say the word and Alexa delivers across Echo, Fire TV, and more. Learn more at Amazon.com slash new Alexa. How are we doing? Oh, we're back. We're back. Yes, sir.

We got to talk about this for a minute. Like, practicing with the South Bay Lakers, like, I think that's so cool. And I don't know who I'm speaking to, but having coach, having played, like, there are two-way guys, and there are rookies or second-year guys that are, like, skis. scared of playing in the G League because, like, I don't know, like the reputation or something. Like, I think it's so cool that one of the very, very, very best players ever played our game went to the South Bay Lakers to get workouts. Like, can you just talk a little bit about your feeling and approach about doing that?

Yeah, I mean, it's part of my buildup and it's part of my love of the game. Like literally, it could have been the South Bay Lakers or it could have been, you know, going to a Recreation Center and playing five-on-five first guys. I just love the hoop, like, you know, and, you know, to finally be cleared to actually go out for live action, I've kind of been building up over the last few weeks, and to finally get the clearance this week to go and play some five-on-five action, I had the luxury to have the South Bay Lakers here in town, you know, while, you know, our big guys are out on the road right now, so I was able to take advantage of it and, you know, just be super humbled about it, just going

there and going out there with those guys, going through the drills, you know, offensive drills, defensive drills, shell drill, you know, shooting drills, all the type of things. So just like a regular practice with the, with the South Bay guys. And like I said, I'm super appreciative and humble to be able to go out there. And then, you know, kind of change their practice a little bit to kind of fit me as well. So just super cool. I think it's important to know, like a part of having a G-Leak is for this very perfect. Yeah, for sure. For sure. It's not all about like, right? It's not all about developing players. It's about having a place, like baseball. Your guy gets hurt, he goes down to AAA to get some innings. You know what I mean? Get some at bats, get some pitches. So

having that place for you to go is important. I think it's, I respected that you went down there and showed like, I don't have an ego about this at all. I just love to hoop. I want to get ready. I want to play. But I think there's a message here for everybody, you know, whether you're a two-way, you're a first-round pick, you're a player in the league. This is what it's there for. Like, there shouldn't be any, like, you shouldn't feel a way about going down to play on the G League team, practice with the G League team, get reps. Like, I just think that's really important for young players to hear. Like, it's about the game. And if you're putting ego or perception in the way of getting better, it's at a disservice to yourself.

No, absolutely. It's a complete disservice to yourself. And you've got to realize, like, you know, the season, when it comes to the NBA season, it's so long and it's so many games and played throughout the course of the week and months and things of that nature. you're not going to be able to get the live reps that you will like to get, you know, and, you know, for me to understand that and just have humility about that, but to have, you know, basically our farm system here

to be able to do that and have those live reps with those guys and, you know, not feel away about going down there, you know, it's, you know, it was pretty easy for me just because of, you know, how I feel about the game, how I could give back to the game. I could, hopefully, the time that I spent with these guys the last couple days, that they learned something for me.

me, I learned something from them, and I think it was just super cool, super dope. It makes me think about, like, it feels like there was a lot more one-on-one, 15, 20, 25 years ago after practice. Is it a fair statement? No, that's a very fair statement. Do you think that's because the social media era, like these kids, they come in the league, like almost everything they do has been put on camera? Do you think, like, that's a part of it?

Was it in our day, you could go play one-on-one, you can get your head kicked in every day all year, and no one's ever going on a lot. And no one's ever going to see it, you know, yeah, because, I mean, now you got to think that as soon as practice is over, you know, especially in our league, that the door's open and now the media is in there. And every media person has a camera. They all have phones that can record. It leaves it to the interpretation and into the narrative of, you know, obviously people that, some of them, they really don't matter what they say. But a lot of the young guys, they play video games, and then they read columns and they read comments, unfortunately. You know, so, you know, they don't want to feel embarrassed or someone said something about them.

And, you know, the more stuff that you read that's negative, the more it creeps into your mind and you don't know what it could do to a young player. So, you know, it's a lot less of that. It's just more like individual shooting now, you know, getting shots up after practice, you know, what coaches or whatever the case may be. Not much one-on-one, you know, activity going on. Yeah, it's a good point about the camera phone because I think like back in the, the day, we'd still have media come down to practice, and there'd be like two, three, four cameramen, you know what I mean? And they might get a clip of one-on-one, but they're not out there like, let me get this, whereas someone with a phone, like zooming in, getting this game,

and can turn that narrative into anything they want. I mean, I kind of, honestly, social media has a lot of good, it has a lot of bad, and that's one thing I hate for our young players. Like, they have to avoid competition sometimes because they're not sure, like, who's filming. And anyways, I just wish our kids could like, because what a tool like to get beat every day by somebody and try to chase them down over the course of the season. I come in the league, you play a vet, and it's like maybe I play a vet who's six, eight,

and he's a starter, and you're a young guy trying to apply your train and he can bully you, but you have to figure stuff out. Yeah. Right? And like having that journey with that guy over the course of a year or more is super valuable to like, you know, your indoctrination into this game And so kind of a bummer for me that that's not so much a part of the culture because of technology.

Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. And, you know, I got an opportunity last summer being on Olympic team to watch a lot of our guys play ones. You know, I'll watch Katie and Book and Ant, you know, play ones. And, you know, there's one practice where literally Steph just went out there and just played all defense. You know, he was guarding Katie who was, you know, who hates the same. He'd say he's seven foot tall, but sorry, Katie, you are a footer. And Steph was just out there just guarding the whole time. It didn't matter who it was.

He didn't want to play offense. He just was guarded. I thought that was just super cool to witness that. And, you know, the greatest players in the world. That was super cool. And it was cameras in there, obviously. You know, and nobody felt away. Nobody felt away.

That's cool. Very cool. Well, shifting gears. How do you feel about fitting back into this, this Lakers' offense and what you've seen so far? I mean, it goes what I'll say. I'm a Swiss Army knife. If that's spotting up, you know, waiting for the, you know, getting the ball from Luca or AR,

if that's setting pick and rolls in transition, if that's, you know, if we want to slow the game down in a half court, we want to get some pulse-up action and be able to create triggers, whatever the case may be. You know, I think, you know, what JJ and the coaches have have done, you know, so far, we've playing exceptional basketball with so many injuries so far. Obviously, me being, you know, one of the injuries that we have, but whatever demographic, however the pie, you know, shapes itself, on offensively how we want to play and how they want me to implement

myself into the role of the team listen all I care about is winning I've done everything in my career and including winning and I want to continue that so I will very I very easily just fit myself right on in and whatever capacity the team needs me to be in does the beauty of your game and your longevity you can be on the ball off the ball in the post pick and roll the screener the handler the cutter. Like with your IQ, you know how to play off it. A lot of guys who are primary ball handlers have a hard time playing off the ball. You're able to use your feel and IQ off the ball to be a cutter. Listen, when you got a great, you got a great point guard like Luca

who creates so many eyes around him, you know, one of the best things I can do is, you know, slash in from that 45 degree, you know, or, you know, waiting, you know, if a guy is tagging high on DA or tagging high on Jackson, you know, to be able to roam behind the defense, you know, and catch lobs behind the defense or just spotting up and just getting ready to shoot. I've worked a lot of my shooting when I wasn't allowed to do a lot of physical, you know, pounding and running and jumping and things of that nature. So it worked on a lot of that too. So, you know, just being, you know, having that growth mindset throughout my career to whatever

position I would ever be able to be put in, you know, no matter if it's the Olympic team or or Lakers or heat or calves or whatever to be dynamic. You know, how can I always be a threat on the floor with or without the ball? And that's something I've kind of prided myself over. That's great. What have you liked, what have you seen, you got new additions, Aiton, Marcus Smart, La Ravia. What have you seen, how do they fit? Any wrinkles, things you've liked?

Yeah, I mean, listen, we can sit here and talk about how unbelievable Luka and AR has been so far. Not surprised me. Those guys are just super ultra-talented, but they bring to the game, we already know. But what I love is what D.A. and Jake and Marcus have brought to the team, you know, another level of toughness, another level of playmaking. You know, the other night, you know, Marcus having seven steals in the game. You know, D.A. been dominant on the glass and being a very efficient offensively. And also, you know, one of the, I think before last night's game, I think he was in the top ten

and like defensive percentages, you know, contested at the rim, you know, and Jake, who is number 12 is what they were saying. I think in the Minnesota game, the crowd was like, who was number 12, and it was like, I don't know. And I mean, guys know them now, you know, and, you know, I'm just proud of what the team has been doing, man, and being able to watch from afar, just like, it's just, it's great. I think we have something really good going, and it's going to be a, it's a long season, obviously, we want to continue to play good basketball.

And that's the most important, but I like the pieces that we had it. And what about Brawny? It looks like he's made a jump. Feels more comfortable, getting a little more opportunity and taking it. How's that been? No, it's been great, you know, not only as a father, but just as a, you know, a student of the game to see someone kind of use what he was able to do last year in the G league, you know, use that, get more comfortable, then go into Summer League, and be even more comfortable. and when it's time has been called this year, just continue to feel good about it.

I think for a young player, the more and more time that you get, the better you get, the more and more of the nuances you get, you get better with the speed, you get better with the strength, you get better with everything. And I think in those games

where Luca was out or AR was out or Marcus was out, I think we had back-to-back games, a home game. I forgot who we played at home and then we had a back-to-back game in Portland. I was just super proud of him of the maturation process of him being to not only play well at home

and then have a back-to-back in a tough environment in Portland and then do it again. That's what the NBA is all about. Not only what have you done for me lately, can you do a back-to-back? So that was pretty cool. How do you walk that line between father and leader?

Like, it's your job to lead the basketball team, be a mentor to all these guys, and at the same time, your dad. Like, I mean, that's a, I'm fascinated by that. Yeah, I mean, I think for me, it's definitely, like you said, it is a fine line, but, you know, when we're in practice and in games and things of that nature, you know, it's, it's the leadership. It's, you know, me being, I'm one of the guys and one of the leaders of the team. But I have, we have our side time where I can, you know, tell him about what I've seen, what I saw, whatever. But I just want him to, you know, he has to walk his own journey, you know, and I can give him, you know, the blue,

print and I can give him some of the things that I've seen, but I want him to walk through the fire as well, you know, and that's the, I think that's, it's going to be the best, you know, teacher for him for him to be able to go through these experiences and come out, you know, the best way he knows how. So, I mean, he loves the game and that's what's most important. And he loves the work, you know, and there's no substitution for hard work. So, you know, that's what it comes down to. That's beautiful. It's great. Amazing to watch this kind of journey and this, you know, this happened. Yeah, for sure. Super cool. Yeah, super cool. And he's got a lot of eyeballs on him, you know? A lot of eyeballs, a lot of critics. Yeah, for sure. The class and the humility, the way he works, like always rooting for him.

So it's fantastic. I appreciate that. Tell me, what can you, yeah, of course. What can you tell me about JJ's culture, like what him and the coaches are trying to build? Because it's cool sometimes watching, like, just some with like the sideline stuff, the team. Like, I get a feeling like, while JJ is a passionate, you know, coach on the sideline, He gets, you know, he goes off sometimes. We all know how much he loves the game and how thoughtful he is around it.

But like, what's it like culturally? What are the, like, tools and, you know, the, what's, you know, the, tell us, give us a little insight of what he's building there. Yeah, I think with Jay, listen, I mean, when you look at JJ's career as a basketball player all away from high school, you know, and he's been a winner his whole life, you know, and he's been taught the game the right way. and it's been no sugar-coding with the coaches that's put him in the position that he is in today. And I had an opportunity to play for Coach K a couple of times, and Coach K, there's no sugar-coding. He's going to tell you exactly how he feel

if you're not doing it right, but it's going to be in a very stern, beloved way. Like, it's nothing, it's not how he says it. It's about how you accept it, you know. And if you take what he says, you know, or how he says it personal, then you're going to lose sight of the messaging, you know. And I think with JJ, he's kind of the same way.

You know, he's right to the point, no sugarcoat it. Listen, this is how we want to play. This is how we want to play. And if I'm seeing possessions or I'm seeing things not up to our standard and what the coach staff is putting out there, I'm going to show you my reaction. And it's not to down you. It's about you to understand what we're trying to build long-term.

And I can respect that. I mean, I love that. I come from, you know, the old school guy and Keith Dan Brott, who was my first high school coach who, shit, like, if he was doing the three-man weave wrong, he'd kick your ass out of practice. Like, you know, and then you get ready for tomorrow. Like, or he invites you back in and talk you through why or whatever.

Like, and I've learned that, you know, that way of kind of like understanding not how they say it is how you receive it. So, you know, JJ is in his coach or staff. They, listen, they give us the answers to the test, and we just got to go out there and execute it. You know, and that's what it's all about. That's great. That honesty, you know, it helps build clarity, right?

Yeah, for sure. We often, like, right, you often, you have a game plan, and the game plan's not always going to work. But what's not going to work is trying to leave the game plan but without trying to make the game plan work. Yeah, exactly. line there as a player. I'm like, we have an obligation to try to make this work rather than this isn't going to work. Right, exactly. So I think you're building that culture of

like, no excuses, we'll tell you how it is, there's a clarity, this is how we're moving forward. Definitely helps a team build principles and habits that are going to, you know, make you guys strong. Exactly, exactly. You know, in basketball, the best plays happen when everything flows naturally. That's exactly what I love about the all-new Alexa Plus, your smart, proactive AI assistant. Chatting with Alexa Plus is as easy as talking to a teammate. You can flow effortlessly between topics from checking your schedule to ordering groceries. It's like having a personal assistant that anticipates your every move.

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I was literally just talking to my good friend, Jared Dudley, right before we jumped on here, I was just like, just, guy, it's ridiculous. He was like, yeah, he's ridiculous. You know, he's been in Dallas the last few years, and, you know, he's been around some great players, obviously, but this goddamn Joker guy, man, what, he's shooting, like,

they say in, like, the last five or six games, he's shooting, like 77% from the field? Yeah, this season, three weeks I think he's at 67% from the field and by the way and this is not like this is not like one of those guys back in a day like all dunks you know or all layups no this is all this is everything all three levels all three levels all three levels wow yeah uh it's remarkable how he makes the game let me ask you this is he the best offensive player you've ever played to us wow that's a that's a tough question right there Steve oh my good when you think

Think about the totality of what he does, the pressure he puts on the defense, the assist, the playmaking, the initiating the offense, the threes, the mid-range, the putting people in the basket. Like, it's a lot of stuff. No, it's a lot. It's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot. There has, I will say this, there has not been a more dominant, complete player that I've played

against in a sense of all the attributes that you just mentioned, from the passing to the shooting, to the rebounding, to the attention, I mean, there's nothing he cannot do on the office of end, like nothing at all. Nothing. You know, you try to double him. He's going to make you pay. You try to play him single coverage. He's going to make you pay. Sometimes he even brings the ball up the floor. They outlet the ball to him. there's can we I don't know of the top of my head there's been a couple

but guys that a point guard will rebound the ball and outlet it to their center to push the break right yeah that that's that's weird in a sense that's already weird like let you know how amazing this guy is

yeah I'm sure it's happened but not like not like the point guard to the center right like happy for you to take it up you initially you to make plays I mean he obviously we know he makes every pass in the book but he's like I mean he's basically a 3 to 1 assist to turnover guy, which is outrageous with his usage.

You know, there's some crazy numbers. The first three weeks of the season, their offensive rating when he's on the court is almost 1.30. So league average is 1.15, sorry, 1.16. 0.3.29 something, right? Like, it's crazy. So, and then in this short season, he's got a 28. differential when he's on the court. So plus 22 per 100 possessions when he's on the court,

minus six per 100 when he's off the court, a differential of 28. Like, you know, I think you were, you crept over 15 on a five-year period, which is like the third highest all time. I think him and Steph had a, at a five-year period at one point, sorry, at 18 differential. Like, these are, like there's almost no one in the game's ever done these things. and let alone, you know, I know it's only three weeks, but that 28 differential, 1.3 almost offensive rating, like this guy. Yeah, I know we know it's only three weeks, but three weeks is a lot of basketball.

Like we're not talking three games, you know, we're not talking, you know, three or four nights or we're talking three weeks of just complete, flawless dominance. That, no matter if that's three weeks or not, and it's not, you know, a big part of the, that's a, that's a lot of games and that's a lot of great basketball, like stuff like you just said,

we haven't seen before. Yeah, that's crazy. It just looks too easy, too. And he's so damn good that day he doesn't. He's so good that people, people barely talk about it. Right. It's like, oh, well, you know,

like it's just normal. Like, it's normal. This shit is not normal. It's not normal what he's doing, guys. I'm sorry. It's not, it's not normal. Yeah, and it's not, it's, I mean, honestly, I just, I said it's, he's making a joke of the best thing in the world. I mean, it's like he's mastered the puzzle.

Do you think a part of it is because he's not the fastest, he's not flying into dunks, it's kind of like everyone's kind of got this little bit of a distance from his actual brilliance or the critical mass? Like, I could watch him all day long, but I wonder if like he doesn't lead every segment on your morning shows just because he didn't jump. over anyone and don't know but like if you watch him play in person especially but if you really watch on any format he he's I mean he's kind of mastering the game of basketball before our eyes yeah yep you said it you said it and I mean as a true basketball fan as a true you know I love the game and and everything that comes with it I mean and if people sit here and say they love the game and they love watching greatness then Tune in.

Tune in. Tune in to a Nuggets game. And if you didn't tune in last night, you know, with him versus the Clippers, you missed the dandy. Clippers decided to stay at home, not double him. He had, what do you have, 55, I think, something like that? He still had six assists. I mean, it's torture chamber if you don't come and help or you don't double.

Like, he doesn't miss. He's, if you, you know, you play off him he shoots, you play too tight, he finds a way to get to your body, takes you to the basket. I mean, it's just a total clinic, unbelievable to watch. So tune in. Yeah, tune in. Yep, tune in. Before it's too late.

Right, right. Well, the Joker, right? Like, it's crazy. The American Express Platinum card is now better than ever, with updated benefits to help you unlock unforgettable experiences. You can access the largest global airport. lounge network and global hotel program with a suite of benefits as compared to other credit card programs. Plus, with the dining benefits at over 10,000 U.S. Resi restaurants and exclusive

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Plus, three months of NBA League pass complimentary of Draft Kings. The crown is yours. Our main segment today is about experimentation in basketball. And let's take a look at this Miami Heat offense. Yeah, yeah. You know, we have to give some nods historically, one, to Memphis last year, who ran this screenless offense. You know, Memphis last year was setting 42 screens per 100 possessions. Miami is only setting 17.

I mean, 42 was by far the lowest. 17 is exceptionally low for a amount of screens in a league that is pick and roll heavy, right? Like almost every possession has a pick and roll or a DHO, which we consider a screen. So it's fascinating. So for some context, you know, this offense started at St. Joseph's of Maine, a D3 school, where the coach had got a former player to, you know, give him some advice. And I think with the seeds from the old read and react offense and some things that they had spoken about and put together, they created this offense where basically a player drives the ball.

If they drive the ball right, everyone shifts and cuts right. So if you drive the ball to the right side of the lane and there's two guys on the right side, the corner guy cuts the baseline and the high quad guy cuts slides down to the corner which in itself is I think great movement because the help can get comfortable so you move the help you ask questions and when the ball when a guy drives everyone's first inclination is to move towards the ball and support if not with their feet with their eyes so if guys are relocating behind you and asking the help questions that can become very difficult for a defense the second part of that is Take the other side, when that guy drives right and the guy on the left side comes in behind him,

his defender's first reaction is try to sink and help the helper, but that guy's filling in way behind him. So you're kind of putting the defense in these really difficult positions. But the number one thing I think Miami's doing that's interesting is playing quicker. In the league, analytically, your points per possession, league-wide, go down every six seconds on the clock. So they're the highest in the first six seconds. Before the defense is settled, that's the cornerstone of the pace and space era. And then every six seconds it goes down again. So Miami's trying to play quick.

They're trying to get to their first action as quick as possible. And by doing so, they're creating a funnel. So the guy comes down, they're keeping the elbows wide open, and he's got the first opportunity to attack a defender who is retreating and help that's running back and just to go one-on-one without a screen. What are your early thoughts? You faced Memphis last year. You've seen Miami, I'm sure, a little bit this year.

Yeah, yeah. Like you just said, we faced Memphis, and we face it a lot, obviously, not only in the regular season, but we played them in the postseason when they was kind of doing this type of action. And it takes a while for you to kind of get adjusted to it. And right now, with Miami doing it, and we played Miami this year, and I got to see it firsthand of how fast that they're playing

and the pick-a-rolless, you know, style of basketball that they're playing. You know, to try to scout that for one game, you know, or are they coming to your building? You got one game to scout for, maybe not even a full day. You got to scout for it. It's hard to catch up to. You know, it's hard to catch up to. And I think it's working in their favor. I think without Tyler Hero, who is a very good pick and roll player, you know, they've, you know, kind of switched off of it, you know, and allowed not kind of just more freedom of movement, freedom of, you know, get off the ball.

You know, if you don't have it, drive, get everything, the wheel, you know, kind of call it the wheel, you know, to get to this wheel action, you know, and, yes, I think, you know, that Bam has had a couple games this year. I know he's injured right now, while we're, you know, right now at the point of us taping us, but he's had a few games where he's had multiple three-pointers made. And that is helping them as well, you know, to, they don't have to have anybody in the paint, you know. And when you have a lob threat like the kid, where, you know, You got those guys. You got Jaime Hacquez, who's very fast with the ball. You know, Wiggins, very good downhill. You know, Davian Mitchell, very good downhill. You know, Norman Powell, very good downhill. You know, it fits their demographic. It fits their personnel.

And that's why Spow literally is one of the greatest coaches, will be one of the greatest coaches ever because he can continue to have growth mindset and continue to change offensive. of things to fit his scheme and fit his personnel. And they've been playing a good ball to start this first three weeks off. Yeah, I mentioned Bam, I think he's doubled his three-point attempts from like three to six.

So he's stretching the floor more, just catching and shooting, which adds a new dimension to them having a stretch five or a stretch four on the floor. But I think it's also cool how they play with quick decisions. Here's the thing, if a guy comes down full court and you have the funnel where a guy can attack that elbow in a full court situation, you have to come in. support. So then one pass goes, you've created like a small closeout, and then the next guy's downhill, right? Then the wheel moves. So if you want to load up on that first action, you're opening up the second one. So I think for Spoh, it's probably interesting. He probably

thought, with or without Hero, like, we maybe don't have a lot of pick and roll creators, guys that are going to make slick passes to the guy rolling or out of a show or whatever it is. So how can I open things up? First thing is by playing fast. Second thing is then, let's, let's move the help, let's play early, and let's see how much people come off. If not, you know, guys like Jaimejquez is cooking people. He's getting downhill, he's creating, he's making plays, and that's the first domino. Now teams are in blender as we talk about. I think they also, it's interesting how they use the slot cut. So, or if two are stacked on one side and the ball's moving, that first guy cuts, that makes the bottom defender. Just pause for a second

on the cut. The guy slides out of the corner. Now they've created another small, close out, right? So you've asking the guys that maybe aren't the slickest pick and roll players to, they're NBA players. They can either shoot the three or attack this guy that's trying to close that separation. Now he's in the guts and the wheel starts again. So to your point, like, you know, brilliant of Spode and look at his roster, look at his team and say, how can we score more points? How can we be more efficient? And so far, he's nailed it. Yeah, he's nailed it. You played against Memphis. What was the, what was the game plan? What would you have success with trying to slow that down?

Well, obviously when you're playing Memphis, the number one thing is the point of attack. And that's getting back and getting loaded to Jha. You allow Jha to play in the paint and break down your defense. It's going to be a long night. So the point of attack has always been Jha, you know, and then finding, you know, Jaron Jackson, Jr., you know, in trail spots, you know, you know, because he loves to shoot the trail three and, you know, play off the closeout game, you know,

when you're not in position. So, you know, they've, they did a good job with that wheel action on keeping you off balance. You know, obviously, you know, Desmond Bain has moved on to Orlando, but he was there as well, and it created a lot of, you know, stress on your defense because of his ability to shoot the ball as well. And he was really good, you know, being a downhill right-hand driver as well. You know, so, you know, you just try to get a feel, you know, especially in the playoff series, that's the best thing about the playoff series.

You know, if you've built something all year, you can't change. You can't just all of a sudden just scrap your whole offense and your demographic and things of that nature. So, you know, you do get an opportunity to kind of find a rhythm to it. Doesn't mean it's easy to guard because it's not, but you get a little rhythm to it and you're able to make some adjustments on, you know, how can we, you know, set up a points per possession. or, you know, being, you know, 1.1, how do we get it down to 9.5, you know, it's a 0.95, you know, how do we continue to crack down on it? Where now it's, you know, game 3, now it's, you know, 0.90 instead of 1.3, what it was game 1. You know, so, you know, you're just always trying to find nuances defensively on how you can, you know, get better with it.

Interesting to see if Spow puts Hero in Pick and Rolls when he comes back. You know, he's obviously a gifted pick and roll score. At the same time, I could see him be amazing. You know, like, if he's the first pass on either side of this guy coming down the funnel and you've got to close out to him, I mean, that's dead meat, right? So it'd be interesting to see, like, is it just set plays? Is it just dead balls when they get to pick and roll? Or do they add that element back in?

Because right now, I mean, they're scoring the ball at a huge rate. Yeah, and if they're scoring the ball at a huge rate, you know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. With Tyler Hero's ability to shoot the ball, his ability to play. off closeouts, his ability to handle the ball, I don't see him not being able to fit into exactly what they're already doing. And, you know, Spoh is smart enough and the coach staff is smart enough to know if there's ATO's dead ball situations and he wants to get to a little rub action with him and Bam and create that two-on-one because Bam's very good in the two-on-one game, you know, he can always get to that. That's something he knows he has in his back pocket,

but let's continue to build this, you know, let's build this system of how we want to play. and then we can have this in the back pocket if we need it. Yeah, it's fascinating to see. I love experimentation. I love people that try new things or adapt. You know, some of these great coaches have adapted their teams over the course of their career. You know, Pop did it, Spos doing it and done it. Why do you think there's not more experimentation in the NBA?

Because our league is a copycat league, Steve. You know that. I was just waiting for it. Our league is a copycat lead, man. It's like, you know, almost, I treat our league exactly at the dinner table with all your, like your friends and family. In order for somebody, in order for everybody to leave and go home, it's always got to be one person that got to stand up first. You know, and that's what our league is. Our league is a copycat lead.

It's a copycat lead, and that's why so many people are afraid to do certain different things. And then they see somebody do it, and then it works. They're like, oh, let us try that. So that's always been our lead. That's been our league forever. Yeah. And unfortunately, well, not unfortunately, but usually it's like a really good team try something. Right.

It works because they're a really good team. Oh, yeah. And everyone else like that. I mean, I remember back in the day, like late 90s, everyone trying the people trying to triangle, yeah. The triangle, yeah. And it's like, well, it's, you know, they do have M.Gri, Pippin, Dennis. You know what I mean?

Like, same with the Shaq, Kobe Lakers. Like, you know, like, it's not as easy to replicate. No, this ain't for everybody. It does, right? You can't just trot them out there. Anyways, it was obviously failed experiments across the league trying to be like the Lakers. But it is like, it is interesting because you, what is a copycat league?

Like, I mean, an element of that has to be job security. Like, maybe coaches are fearful. If I try something wild and it doesn't work, you know, that could be the end of my job. Like group think, you know, like you said, we all, everyone knows each other. Everyone sees everyone, watching everything they do. There's a comfort in relating to what everyone does instead of going against it. You know, one of the other factors, I think, is that we play, and this goes in and out of experimentation. This also is just for, like, everyone in the league.

You play 80 to 100 games in our league. You build habits. You build habits in a way of playing. So I think it's also, it's a stretch. You don't have a lot of time. Like, we've talked about this before. Once the season starts, you get four or five days of camp, and you're playing an exhibition game, and you've got a performance team saying, like, hey, we can.

early practice production. You know, it, it, so for a coach to then say, like, I'm going to have my star player have to build new habits that are outside of what they're used to doing, that takes guts. Like, you know, like, you know, that's my bread and butter right there. So changing things extremely, I think that's another thing that prevents people from trying to things. I just think that there's, there is still ways that we can experiment in our league, but it's difficult.

Would you agree with that? No, absolutely. 1,000 percent, you know. And, you know, like you said, coaches come in, especially if it's their first job or they're just getting another job. They have their system. They have their system.

They've been talking with the coaches, you know, about, you know, the system. Or if they haven't even hired their assistants or whatever the case may be, but they have a system they want to put in place. Both offensively and defensively. And, you know, like you said, it takes guts to be able to just change it completely.

But it also takes security, you know, with a guy like Spoh, he's secure. He's good. He's not worried about, you know, if he doesn't win this year, then, you know, somebody's looking over his job, you know, you look at Pop and Pop was doing what he's going in the Hall of Fame. Right. Pop, pop didn't have, you know, the, you know, anybody looking down on him or wondering if, you know, if he doesn't, if this doesn't work with Timmy D or now Tony's here. If it doesn't work, oh, we got to go look for somebody else. No, never was the case. So, you know, it definitely helps when you know you have great job security. Before we finish, we got one question on here, and a guy by the name on X. His name is Tricky Leg 2-34. I'm not going to ask him how to hell he... Tricky Leg.

Don't know how he hell he came up with that name. But, okay. He asks, what is the best way to get the game to slow down for me when I have the ball? I always feel rushed and sped up when I get it. I'm going to let you take that, Steve. All right, well, I'm going to definitely want to hear your thoughts on that, because Because my initial answer is it takes time. It takes time.

Like the game, the more you play, the more reps, the more scenarios you see, the more it slows down. But what can you do to speed that up? I think to increase that development, like first of all, skill development, so how great is your handle, right? If your handle's better, your vision is going to be better. How great is your physicality, fitness, quickness, acceleration, deceleration. If you're on balance all the time, a lot harder to get sped up. If you're not sped up, your eyes aren't sped up.

So I think there are things you can control. But I think one thing that I would say for a player, other than stick with it, it takes time, is try to be really conscious, whether it's on the floor, in practice, in film sessions, like really be conscious of the positions you get in. Because there's only so many positions and things happen in a game of basketball, especially considering each of our games predicates on where those spots are. on the floor on what those scenarios are so being aware when you're watching film when you're practicing where do I suffer and why how can I get ahead of that

how can I have better recognition in those scenarios breaking it down in practice getting little two and three man games going in some of those scenarios can help to before after practice even with coaches but look there's a lot of things you can do that might help you in little ways but you have to stick with it because I think time is the greatest teacher in respect yeah I'm I can piggyback everything, as you just said, Steve, I think, you know, time, you know, and also, you know, actually putting yourself in those situations, either like you said, if it's five on five, four on four, three on three, two on two, you know, and then skill development. Just continue to, if it's something that you're uncomfortable with, you know, develop those skills, you know, you got to put that work in to where you feel more and more comfortable. If it's you handle the ball picking roles and you, you know, you get spared up because, you know, a lot of teams may blitz you and you don't know how to handle the blitz.

or, you know, or guys picking you up full court and you don't quite know how to, you know, handle that type of ball pressure. So, you know, it's about skill development. It's also about just letting the game continue to grow as you grow. And then, like you said, it takes time. It takes time of actually being in those situations,

understanding those situations, you know, failing in those situations, which is okay. We all fail. It's nothing wrong with that, but it's not about the failure point to how do you. come back from that? How do you come back? How do you take that adversity? So yeah, tricky leg two, three, four. That's our advice we can give you, champ. We hope you, we hope

you get, you'd be great. And the last thing for tricky leg is simplify. Yep. When you're overwhelmed and you're sped up, simplify. Like one, two reads, one, two concepts. Like that's so important, I think, for you to be able to slow down and just focus on one, two things that maybe give you a chance at the start of a situation. So lots of work to do. Lots of young players go through that. Unless your name's LeBron James, Nicole Yolkish. It's always a tough part of that, at some level for everybody.

Tricky leg, listen to some shot A, that'll help too. No matter how old you are, young you are. Listen to some shot A, that'll slow you down too. He's probably like, who? He's like, who? Shot A. Yeah, Shade. Ask your parents.

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