Shannon Brown or Sasha Vujacic?
Kobe Bryant will not be ready for the season opener. This statement might cause some Laker fans to hit the panic button already and yet the season hasn't even started.
This isn't good news for the Laker players who will now be without out two starters, the other is Andrew Bynum. This situation reminds me of the one last season when LA was resting Bryant and Bynum was taking his yearly injury vacation. Many experts believed LA would crumble without Bryant bailing them out, but LA proved them wrong, and had a record of 4-1 without the best player in basketball. Gasol and Odom played out of their minds and as a team they were able to defeat some tough teams (some were huge blowouts on the road).
During Kobe's absence, one Laker role player stood out from the rest of the pack. That role player was the high flyer Shannon Brown. When the Lakers acquired Brown, they believed he would help them on the defensive end, which he has, but no one predicted the high flyer will be an integral offensive spark off the bench. His offense has improved and while he isn't a perfect fit in the triangle, he has refined some areas in his game.
The experiment of playing Shannon at the point miserably failed and so Phil decided to let him play more at the 2. The two guard position seemed more natural for Shannon, especially in the triangle.
Shannon earned Phil's trust during the time when Kobe was out for a bit last season, and Brown exceeded expectations. I believe he scored double digits in at least 3 of the 5 games and scored 20 or more points in at least two of them.
Sasha was either hurt or completely out of the rotation at that point in the season and Phil felt that Brown would be more effective.
With Kobe missing the season opener and possibly the first two weeks of the season, will Phil continue to start Shannon or will Sasha get a newfound opportunity in his battle to regain the Zen Master's trust? Here is a case for why Phil should and shouldn't start Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic.
Shannon Brown
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Like I said in the introduction, Shannon Brown has already proven that while he can't be Kobe while Kobe is out, he can at least provide lots of energy and have occasional scoring outbursts. Phil knows what he’s getting out of Shannon, and while he can be inconsistent at times, the high flyer doesn’t make too many mistakes outside of the occasional bad shot selection. He’s a decent defender and is somewhat overrated in that area. Brown has focused a lot on improving his offensive game and it has paid off but he’ll get on Jackson’s good side if he makes defense his priority.
If Fisher continues to struggle with his perimeter shot in the regular season, Phil might think long and hard before inserting Shannon Brown in the starting lineup. Shannon is very inconsistent on the perimeter and having two guards who can’t shoot the ball might make the Lakers offense stagnant. Sasha has a decent perimeter game, and could be a better fit in the Lakers offense that will feature Gasol a lot.
Sasha Vujacic
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Sasha is a three point threat but some Laker fans have lost complete faith in his one and only asset. While I believe Sasha will regain his touch from outside the arc, it's the other parts of his game that worries me.
He was once known for his relentless defense, but I always believed that part of his game was vastly overrated. Besides his shooting and somewhat pestering defense, Sasha does little else. If he regains his touch from outside, he would be a nice fit alongside fisher, as he has the size to play the two position (I believe 6'7). His outside shooting could space the floor and allow Gasol to have more room to operate in the post, where the offense will most likely be initated.
Prediction
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Shannon will probably get the nod from Phil based off his performances last season when Kobe was out. If Brown struggles at all, Phil will not hesitate to insert Sasha. Either way, I don't foresee the Lakers struggling with both Kobe and Bynum out. They have too much talent and depth to depend solely on Kobe to win ball games.
