The Lakers Exceptionalism Podcast

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball dig deep into the Lakers acquisition of Marcus Smart, including the various high-level defensive versatility & skillset he brings to the team, how to utilize his versatility in different lineups, and how his Offensive role may change from ball handler for the first time in his career. Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord through the...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers quiet offseason so far but take a deep dive into Deandre Ayton, how his skillset fits into what we were looking for in a Big next to Luka, identifying how he can be more impactful in LA than he was in Portland, and later, dig into what Jake LaRavia brings to the team, including where he should play positionally, how his role might change on the L...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the most important Center skills necessary for whatever Big the Lakers will look to add and rank them from most to least important for the 25-26 Roster. Later, they dig into 11 different trade or free agent options and how they stack up next to what the team needs most. Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Check out the LakersEx Discord -- link in description! Check ou...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball return with a dive into how the Lakers season ended in the 1st round, including what went wrong with their scheme, how JJ Redick relied on the wrong adjustments, why the team didn't play Jaxson Hayes in the final 6 quarters, and what to make of JJ's first season as head coach. Check out our Discord, link below! Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Check out the Lakers Exceptio...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the disappointing Game 3 loss, breaking down the adjustments (or lack thereof) on both sides of the ball, how and why the turnovers should (hopefully) be a one-off, how the Lakers haven't figured out the Wolves switching defense, and dig into some reasons for optimism in Game 4. Check out our Discord in the link in the description! Music by @sleepyghostmp3...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball hop on with Jovan Buha, senior Lakers writer for the Athletic and host of the Buha's Block podcast (link in description), to breakdown the Lakers disappointing Game 1 Loss to Minnesota and provide our takeaways, adjustments, and a little bit of exceptionalism. Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWiz...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball dive DEEP into both sides of the ball to find any and every possible advantage the Lakers can gain from the Wolves matchup. Topics include: How to guard Anthony Edwards, what to do with Julius Randle in the post, how the Lakers defensive scheme will stack up, why the Lakers 3-headed Playmaker group will dictate terms to Minnesota's defense, some plays that will wor...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball dive deep into the Lakers statement win in OKC by breaking down whether or not the team got lucky with their best shot making game of the season, how the team was able to generate open shots, why the Lakers playmakers could be difficult for OKC to guard in a playoff matchup, how the team slowed them down on defense, and later, a brief dive into the numbers of the l...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball record immediately after the Suns Win to discuss how the Lakers looked much better vs Phoenix and stopped their 4-game losing streak. Topics include: an offensive organization rate overview of each game this week, and how the Brooklyn & Milwaukee games were concerning, while the almost upset in Denver was an encouraging game in more ways than one. Later, they discu...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the past 2 weeks from Lakers basketball, including how LA has been consistently declining in their organized vs freelance offense, how that trend negatively impacts their PPP & Offensive Rating, and why it isn't simply because of the trade. Later, they discuss the Lakers recent changes to their defensive scheme & why it's been leading the charge during this...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the week in Lakers basketball, briefly touching on the disappointing Charlotte loss and gritty Portland win before diving deep into the statement win at Denver. They break down why the Lakers' defensive gameplan worked, including how they "whited" Jokic in the post, how their defensive matchups showed a cohesive plan, their ability to limit Denver's Offensi...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss Luka's 1st 2 games as a Laker, including how the team has used him creatively on Offense, what types of actions & sets they've run, and how it all went wrong in the game at Utah. Later, they discuss the recent additions of Alex Len and Jordan Goodwin, and take questions from Discord and Playback. Join our Discord with the link below! Outro Music by @sleepyg...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the big trade of Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected 1st, and a 2030 pick swap for Mark Williams. They discuss how Mark's defense has been through his 1st 3 years, what he's good at and what he isn't, how he's an impressive but unpolished roll man finisher, his excellent Offensive Rebounding, what the team can do with his skill set. Later, they d...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball react LIVE to the massive trade of AD, Max Christie, and JHS for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. We unpack some of Luka's data, what he brings to the team, how to position him defensively, how others on the team will shift their roles, how to craft a dominant offense with Bron & Luka, and how to craft the best possible roster this season (and beyond)...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the first half of the Grammy trip, including how the team dominated in 1Q in Charlotte, how they dealt with missing AD in Philly, and what to do in the next week+ with him out of the lineup. Later, we check in with the team's offensive & defensive fundamentals post DFS trade, and chat about recent reports about Bruce Brown, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Day'Ron Sh...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss an eventful week in Lakers Basketball, including a recap of each game this week, including big Wins vs. Boston & Golden State, how much better the team defense has looked, whether the 2 Big lineups are working, and Vando's return. Later, they discuss some interesting comments from JJ Redick about the team's organized offense rate, and finally, talk about AD...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the past week in Lakers basketball, including the close Win vs Brooklyn, how LA played against the Miami Zone, and what went wrong in the 2nd half vs San Antonio. Later, they discuss the addition of Trey Jemison at the expense of Quincy Olivari, what it means for the team's plans around the backup 5 position, and whether or not the Jaxson Hayes-AD two Big l...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball return from the break for a MEGA POD. Topics include thoughts on the DFS for D'Lo swap, including what the team's looked post-trade, how the Offense has looked over the past few weeks, some Good (and Bad) of Austin's new PG Role, what's up with Dalton Knecht, and finally, discuss the possibility of trading for Walker Kessler. Outro Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn mo...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball catch up on a week without a lot of actual basketball and break down recent rumors & injury news, discuss what the Lakers can do during their 4-day break between games to improve their scheme & execution, how and why the Lakers Post Play has been so much worse this season, and finally, regrade the Lakers' scheme after the first 24 games of the season. Find the Lake...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball breakdown the Lakers disastrous week, including some of the Postgame quotes from JJ Redick, LeBron & AD. Then, they check in on the Lakers' Organized Offense and how it's a result of poor coverage fits, execution, and shot making. Later, they discuss some recently reported trade targets and how they could (or could not) turn the Lakers season around. Check out our...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers rough 1-4 week, including how the Offense has fallen off in the past several games, the motivation behind putting Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup, if the switching scheme is hurting their Defense, and whether or not the team has hit it's ceiling with this roster. Check out the Lakers Discord with the link below! Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Lear...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss Dalton Knecht's incredible week, including how he's been on fire for a week, the state of his effectiveness as an Off-Screen Shooter and where he can improve. Later, they discuss if the Lakers are a title contender by identifying some of their team fundamentals (ORTG, DRTG, and more). Where does LA need to improve to land in the handful of title contenders?...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the recent Starting Lineup change with Cam Reddish replacing D'Angelo Russell. Topics include, can Cam keep this level of play up, how has the overall lineups changed since the swap, how has the change effected AD & Bron's role & usage, how Dalton Knecht saved the Win vs Memphis, and a check-in on Player Roles and whether or not each player is being used th...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball take questions from the Discord. Topics include: What's up with Gabe and Max? Can Cam Reddish help until Vando returns? What's up with the Transition Defense? Should we make a trade soon or ride it out? Check out our Discord server through the link in this description to get more LEP content! Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers 1st 5 games, including how the Offensive Scheme has adapted since the Preseason, how Defensive Matchups with the Lakers current rotation could present an ongoing challenge, and finally -- what's up with Max Christie? Check out the link in description for access to the Laker Sex Mafia Discord! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...