If there is one thing Mike D’Antoni gets respect for, it’s the trust he has in his players.
D’Antoni’s system is one that allows for complete freedom on the offensive end, and he wants his players to fire up shots when they have a look. Kobe Bryant is enjoying his time under D’Antoni and he is currently leading the NBA in scoring, despite earlier beliefs that his numbers would drop.
In addition, other Lakers players are beginning to find their groove on the offensive end and it is clear some of them are very fond of this D’Antoni system. Bryant spoke to ESPN Los Angeles and he talked about how players must act when put on the court by D’Antoni.
“Yeah, but the thing about Mike that’s different from a lot of coaches is when you get your minutes, you have the green light to be aggressive,” Bryant said. “It’s not like you go in there for four or five minutes and you’re reluctant to shoot to be aggressive. You have the green light. Antawn didn’t play tonight but when he gets in there he’ll have the green light to shoot and be aggressive, same thing with Devin. So it’s not like we can’t get in rhythm.”
Jamison scored 33 points for the Lakers off the bench earlier this season, showing just how productive he can be for D’Antoni. There is no doubt that the Lakers have players that can have huge scoring outbursts, it just up to them to do that on a consistent basis.
Bryant is a player that will always get his points, but if the Lakers want to win a championship, the role players have to provide Bryant with some support.
