Cranjis AMA: Ask Me Anything Lakers-Warriors

36 comments

1. Biggest concerns heading into tonight? Anything you think Darvin might throw out there that might shock you as far as rotations?

2. Wassup Cranjis, love your breakdowns.

   How do you anticipate defensive matchups going, specifically with the golden state backcourt? I know Vando has been used as a POA defender for us, but I’m worried it would be a waste of his talents since Golden state will run him off a million screens. Is there any value on putting Vandy on Wiggins, as Wiggins seems to have a healthy amount of isolation attempts? It seems GSW relies on him for a decent amount of shot creation, isolation? Thanks!

3. Cutest Laker?

4. Should the lakers start Rui over Vando for better 3point shooting? Would it be enough to offset Vando’s perimeter defense?

5. How important is Schröder in this series?

6. Realistic predictions for this series? Any additional rotation pieces that play more vs the Grizzlies series?

7. If you were to guess, do you think Lebrons lack of aggression vs Memphis in games 1/3/5, was more due to picking his spots, or is he severely limited by the foot?

8. Hello,

   Do you see RUI in the starting line up this series?

9. Do you think this series against the warriors will be the toughest of our playoffs run assuming that we keep on winning?

10. Series prediction? Who wins in how many games?

11. Are the Lakers more likely to win by their defense or offense efficiency in this series?

12. Aside from AD and Bron, who do you think should step up the most from the role players that will open up the Lakers winning the series.

13. Do you think we go small ball to match the Warriors or force the Warriors to play big to match us?

14. Is there a data on how effective was Vando guarding Steph? He did it in Minnesota if I remember correctly

15. Barring injury, what would be some key things you would be on the look out for tactically that could make your series prediction more optimistic for the Lakers than the current Lakers in 6 stance?

16. Since his injury , how is Klay’s D? Is it elite enough to bother AR?

17. Do you think Max Christie could get playing time in this series? What type of defensive archetype is he?

18. If it’s safe to say that no one on this team knows the warriors better than LeBron, should he be the one initiating the offense while he’s on the floor? It felt like he played more off-ball than ever against Memphis.

19. Would you agree with the statement that this is the biggest series of Lebron’s career?

20. Is this a bad matchup for Vando? Do you think he should be starting and do you think he’ll start all series?

21. Good morning, Cranjis.

    Do you anticipate the same rotation from Game 6, or are you anticipating a larger pool of players tonight?

22. Does Ham’s lineup of guards (like in the regualr season) along with Lebron at C could work here or should they tighten the rotation already?

23. Hi Cranjis – thanks for doing the AMA.

    Want to follow up on your point regarding the AD vs. Draymond / Looney 1v1 battle. Is this an anecdotal concern following Looney’s breakout Kings series? If it’s deeper, could you dive into a bit more detail around what the numbers tell us?

    Statmuse is telling me AD has feasted against Looney matchups, but unsure on the validity of that data.

24. On your last pod, you were explaining how high drop coverage would be best for defending Steph. Can you talk more about why that’s the case?

25. How do you see GSW adjusting against the top lock + AD at center field defensive strategy as the series progresses?

26. Who do you think will be the X factor in this series for the lakers?

27. Have you identified any metrics or evidence suggesting there may be a lack of footspeed that GSW might struggle with whilst running a Looney/Draymond front court against the Lakers in transition?

28. From Warriors perspective, how do you think they will defend the double drag system? What would be good counters from the Lakers perspective?

29. What Adjustments should Steve Kerr make to the Lakers playing high drop + top locking their shooters? and do you think Kerr will make those adjustments?

30. I know ur pick is lakers in 6. Which away game will the lakers win

31. Are you confident in the Lakers utilizing their post help beating tactics in this series? iirc they didnt use much help beaters in the regular season games against the warriors

32. If the Lakers are down 10 points in the fourth, what would be their best offensive lineup to have a shot at winning the game?

33. Fact or fiction: if lakers win this series, lakers winning the chip this year.

34. Can you confirm if Anthony Davis has that dawg in him? Thanks Tim

35. Appreciate you doing these. Asked you pre-mem about leaving brooks and you nailed it

    Going to ask a similar, but more open ended question. Any stats to support the “let Steph get his, shut everyone else down” strategy, or does this similarly feel like a “leave x player, slow down Steph” kind of series?

    Low hanging fruit feels like draymond, but he’s self-aware enough to not jack up shots and actually take away space given to him to force us to defend him (compared to Russ in Houston). So, curious in your thoughts on how best to defend them.

36. Why is David Thorpe & the True Hoop crew so low on Coach Ham? Aside from Lakers Twitter, I think they’ve been the lowest on him.