The Lakers Exceptionalism Podcast

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball grade the JJ Redick's new scheme in different categories, including the Frequency of Sets, the Quality of Sets, how the player roles fit within their Organized Offense, and more! Apologies for the audio quality in the first half, we experienced some technical difficulties -- but the second half is back to normal. Outro Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Follow us on Playback...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the recent comments from Jeanie Buss about giving JJ Redick some patience, "because this is not going to be easy for him", while reacting to some unconfirmed reports that Jarred Vanderbilt may not be ready for the Preseason. Later, they unpack how the Vando news could affect the rotation early in the season and how getting off to a strong start will be cruc...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the 5 ways the Lakers can improve going into the 23-24 Season. We break down 5 categories: Player Roles, Potential Trades/Acquisitions, Coaching Scheme, Player Health, and Rotations. Then, we rank each category on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of how likely they are, and how impactful they'll be. Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices....

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball take a deeper look into the assistant coaching hires for JJ Redick's staff, do a quick Summer League debrief, discuss the lack of moves this Summer, and finally, how LeBron & AD have looked in the Olympics so far. Follow us on Playback to watch us live! Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Check out the...

This is a live draft reaction to the news that the Lakers selected Dalton Knecht. Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss Knecht's College data, watch various play types of his (P&R, C&S, DEF, etc) and give their initial impressions. Later, they're joined by Coach Hamlin (@coach_hamlin) to provide more analysis and context on Knecht's skills & role in his season at Tennessee. Go give Coach a foll...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the JJ Redick introductory press conference, including how JJ is "going to use math", what glimpses into his basketball philosophy we can unpack, who he could surround himself with on the bench, and what Rob Pelinka's comments could mean about this season's team building approach. Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Follow us on Playback! Learn more about your a...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the firing of Darvin Ham and what direction the team could go with their Head Coach position. Later, they discuss the various reported candidates, including David Adelman, Micah Nori, Sam Cassell, Kenny Atkinson, Chris Quinn, and JJ Redick. Who is capable of coaching the team to success right away? What should the Lakers look for in a coach? Music by @sleep...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers strong Game 4 performance, including which plays/sets were working the best, why LA has succeeded in guarding Jokic in the post, and what the Lakers could do to mitigate some areas where they've struggled. Follow us on Playback to watch the games LIVE! Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the adjustments from Denver in Game 2, how the Lakers sets are still (mostly) working, and what LA can do to improve their execution in late game situations. We recorded this pod LIVE on Playback, where we watched Offensive Plays from the 4th Quarter. We tried to leave in parts of that conversation that were relevant without the video so you can still enjoy...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball hop on to discuss the 1st Round matchup with the Denver Nuggets, including a deep dive on Nikola Jokic's post ups & how (& how not) to guard him, how to navigate Murray Pick & Rolls, and what the Freelance Offense needs to do to have a shot in the series. We dug into both teams, both sides of the ball to find the most strategic advantages the Lakers can use to make...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss their thoughts on the Lakers-Pelicans Play-In matchup, including why it's been such a one-sided matchup the last calendar year, how the Pelicans could adjust from the latest blowout, and whether or not the Lakers might tighten their rotation even more. Let's see if the Lakers can take care of business -- come watch the games with us on Playback live! Learn...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss how the Lakers offense has performed since the All-Star break, including how D'Lo's Pull-Up 3PT game has been better than ever, why Rui has had such a big impact since entering the starting lineup, and how the final Regular Season Standings might shake out. Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Follow us on Playback! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball return from the break to discuss the Lakers-Warriors game, how Spencer Dinwiddie has looked in his 1st 3 games, and dig into what to expect from the final 25 game segment of the season and where LA could realistically finish in the standings. Outro Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Check out the Lakers Exc...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss what Spencer Dinwiddie brings to the team, including dissecting his Impact this season, how his Defensive role will help as a Guard with more size, and which players could benefit from his addition to the rotation. Later, they discuss whether or not there was a trade on the market that the guys wished the Lakers made. Join us for the games on Playback! Outr...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers unexpected and spirited win in Boston without LeBron and AD, how Vando's injury and will complicate their development, and whether or not it will change their plans at the trade deadline. Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discord here! Hosted by...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the return of the Opening Night Lakers starters, how the Lakers have been unlucky on defense, and how their organized offense has looked over the last few weeks. Follow us on Playback to watch the games LIVE with us! Outro Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Check out the Lakers Exceptionalism Discor...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the up-and-down week from the Lakers, first breaking down how the Suns game got away from them, discussing the pros/cons of a trade for Dejounte Murray, and offer some hopeful context for how the team can still put things together this season. Follow us on Playback to watch games live with us! Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices....

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers post In-Season Tournament struggles, including how most players on the team have a right to feel frustrated by their role & usage, why the new lineup is struggling on Offense, and later check in with some Bulls writers to get a better sense of what Chicago is expecting back if the Lakers were to engage them in a trade. Follow us on Playback to wa...

Tom Zayas and Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers pivoting to a new starting lineup vs the Thunder, including how the team over-performed their expectation offensively, where the strength in that lineup lies, and whether or not it's sustainable long-term. Later, they discuss the recent reports of the Lakers-Bulls trade discussions around Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso and which pa...

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Tom Zayas and Cranjis McBasketball discuss how the Lakers have looked since Jarred Vanderbilt has returned from injury, including how he's fit in on offense and defense and where his strengths were missed the most. Later, they discuss the matchup with the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament Final and how LA can hope to slow down Tyrese Haliburton. Outro Music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more a...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball hop on to discuss the Lakers season so far, including how the team has navigated through the injuries (and how many players they've missed each game), why the Lakers schedule has been quietly tougher than we first imagined, and what to take away from the Lakers being ranked as the 29th best 3PT shooting team (at the time of recording this pod). Join us on Playback...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers 4-1 record in their last 5 games, including how Cam has become a new player in the starting lineup, where some of the frustration with the Lakers Defensive Rebounding should be directed, and how the Lakers can fix their transition defense. Join us on PLAYBACK for Games and Live Pods! outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Learn more about your ad choices...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers tough loss in Miami and how they battled despite being short-handed, how Austin Reaves has broken through his opening struggles, doing a scheme check-in, how the team has done in improving their Def Rebounding, and what to do to break through the slow starts. Follow us on Playback to watch the games live with us! Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Le...

Tom Zayas & Cranjis McBasketball discuss the Lakers rotations in the 1st 4 games (recorded before the Clips game), including why we need to see LeBron and D'Lo staggered, what to think of Cam getting the backup wing minutes over Max, how Christian Wood has performed and how going big is only a situational advantage, and briefly discuss LA's scheme so far. Outro music by @sleepyghostmp3 Follow us o...