Los Angeles Lakeres: Why Pau Gasol Was Right About Getting More Touches in Post

Pau Gasol recently said that he wants the Los Angeles Lakers to run their offense through the post more often.

He's right.  That's exactly what the Lakers need to do.

Relax, Kobe Bryant will still get his shots, but when you have a pair of dominant big men in Gasol and Andrew Bynum, you need to use that to your strength.

If the Lakers showed a commitment to playing the game inside-out, they would be difficult to matchup against on a nightly basis.

However, with Gasol consistently hanging out around the three-point line, essentially watching the action take place around him, the Lakers aren't the same tough team to cover.

Gasol got more touches in the paint last night and the Lakers won.

He's averaged only 3.8 shots per game within five feet of the basket for the season. Last night though, Gasol got seven close-range shot attempts and converted five of those.

The seven shot attempts within five feet were the most he's gotten in any game this season. That's a trend that must continue for the Lakers to have any success.

That style of play also should benefit the perimeter players on the floor as well.

The Lakers are the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA by a large margin, but with the ball starting in the post and being kicked outside, they went 8-for-16 from behind the arc last night.

That's directly connected to dumping the ball down to the post more often.

So while it might sound like Gasol is begging for the ball, he's right. Starting in the post and working the ball outwards benefits everyone in a Lakers uniform.