Steve Nash Injury: Mike D'Antoni's Arrival Makes PG's Absence Less Problematic

When the Lakers were sinking into oblivion under coach Mike Brown, Steve Nash's broken leg was just another sign of the apocalypse. Now the Lakers are being guided by Mike D'Antoni, and Nash's injury—and any absence from the court it creates—is no cause for concern. 

We'll get into the change in perception on this injury, but first, let's take a look at Nash's recovery. 

Mike Trudell of Lakers.com tweeted out the latest update. 

"

As expected, @stevenash is going to be out at least these next 4 games (Nets, Kings, Grizz, Mavs), D'Antoni clarified.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 21, 2012"

While this ESPN tweet makes it clear that the "at least" in the above tweet must be noticed. 

"

Nash out indefinitely; Blake to miss four games espn.go.com/los-angeles/nb…

— ESPNLosAngeles (@ESPNlosangeles) November 21, 2012"

So, whenever Nash does return, he will do so having missed significant time. After the next four games, the 6-5 Lakers will be 15 games into this season, and Nash has only played in 1.5 of those games. 

This was going to be a giant problem when the Lakers were under the previous regime. The team was struggling, and when Nash was playing, his glorious, but specific skill set was being almost completely unused.

He was going to need to learn how to work in the Princeton offense, and Brown was going to have to try and find a way to get him more involved—all while Nash got used to his new teammates. 

Mike D'Antoni will not have the same problems trying to figure out how to use Nash in his offense. The two combined to form one of the greatest offenses the league has ever seen while in Phoenix. 

Nash knows D'Antoni's offense to the inch, and the fast-paced, pick-and-roll, well-spaced offense is perfect for him. 

The only adjustments that will need to be made now is Nash building chemistry with his new teammates. While it will still take some time for these guys to gel, that will happen much quicker in this offense. 

On the defensive end, it is essentially a non-issue. Nash can't guard his shadow in man. That's not going to change. Also, the Lakers are used to having a point guard that can't slow anyone down. The defense can just maintain the same scheme and mentality when he returns. 

The important thing here is that Nash gets fully healthy and stays healthy.