Can Lauri learn passing?

I know he is the Finnisher and is good at that. However, most of the elite teams now have a secondary or even a primary playmaker among their forwards/centers in addition to a passing guard and it opens so much. The Jazz also thrived when they had Olynyk. And I am not asking for much: something alongside Giannis or Adebayo in being able to see open teammates and passing to them would be more than enough. If Lauri can meaningfully improve it would unlock so many possible lineups for the Jazz in playing non-passing bigs and forwards alongside him and relieving the pressure on our combo guards (Keyonte, Sexton, Clarkson). The only alternative is Filipowski and he is at least 2 years away from being a good starter even in the most optimistic scenarios.

And Lauri has everything he needs to be a good passer: experience, height, dribbling ability, gravity, quick processing skills. This season is a wash anyway and if Lauri focuses on improving his passing it will not only help the team but also enable him to ascend to the perennial All Star level.

Here is an old, but good article documenting the transition of two big men to become playmakers: How Passing Is Increasing The Value Of NBA Big Men Julius Randle And Thaddeus Young

Big men being the fulcrum of an effective modern day offense has been proven true over the past few years with the emergence of Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic....The passing has been the pièce de résistance, though (for Randle). It has transformed him from being a “turnover happy big man without an identity” to an “offensive fulcrum for a team that would be hapless without him”. Part of that has to do with the Knicks’ point guard rotation being a bit of a mess still. Without a legit top option the Knicks have been forced to roll out mostly subpar shooting guards that don’t move the needle for a team offensively.

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Another article makes a point that big men need to become good passers because it is getting increasingly hard to find a young pass-first guard (with the Jazz being a good example).

“When you utilize the big as the hub,” Schertz says, “I think it creates organically an egalitarian-type offense, where everybody is more of a part of it, because the other four spots become completely interchangeable.”

The reality is that there are fewer traditional point guards than ever before. The mindset of the guard has changed. Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May brings up Tyrese Haliburton to show how unusual it is to find a pass-first point guard and the allure of playing with one.

May poses the question: Why did Pascal Siakam agree to go to the Pacers instead of opting to wait for free agency? “Because they have a point guard that’s a superstar that likes to pass,” May says.

We might get to a point where it’s easier to find a big man who loves to pass than a guard...If you have one of those bigs, a point guard no longer feels necessary.

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jazznik said:

The only alternative is Filipowski and he is at least 2 years away from being a good starter

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Well the jazz are at least that far away from being relevant if even that short a time so this is a mute thread. Filip will be that for us.

I think he can. They did run KO sets with him after the trade and he started having more games with 4-6 assists. Jazz gotta focus on trying to do it more bc Lauri imo has in him the 4apg dude. Hopefully we see them run more sets where he can pass,shoot over the smaller guy/drive past or through of the defender.

I wouldn't bank on that, don't think It seems like something that looks like in a position to become a big and or defining part of his game.

Still, it's a tanking season, so they should experiment on things (at least on things that have actual upside, unlike Sochan as PG for the Spurs), as even If his game doesn't exponentially grow in that aspect, any incremental improvement would be positive

Don’t think passing ability is a limiting factor for Lauri. The limiting factor is that he has no off the dribble game or ability to create his own shot with ball in his hands.

Realistically, passing isn’t going to make a difference in his game until he can do those things first. If you can’t play with the ball in your hands you obviously can’t create for others with the ball in your hands.

I do hope it’s something we at least try to do when we’re not trying to win. It’s the obvious avenue for him to elevate his game. Worst case scenario is that he sucks at it and we lose more games. The horror.

One of the biggest issues is something almost I have only talked about here and it's his lack of both pump fakes and body fake instincts which would benefit him so much (KO as much slower player outsmarts faster guys with his amazing fakes). A lot of it has to do with how Finland really doesn't have such a high tier street ball culture or isn't flooding with talent, so it doesn't come instinctively. He actually has decent handle for guy of his size, he is strong and athletic, but in stagnated game moments he lacks "street smarts", which is why Jazz offense is built to get the ball to Lauri either in movement, very close to basket or for the downtown. IDK how much you can reach that "street smarts" in his prime or not. So he probably either has to polish up his passing, face up game shooting over smaller guys, tighten his handle more to get better off from the first step now there's help defense around him all the time. Many of his turnovers come from the dribble starting a bit too high so the hands of help defense comes in the way. Even with these current limitations as of now, he made himself a top 30 player which is awesome

Pass to who? His job is to get the ball and make quick moves to score.

I would be happy if he can get to 3 APG, but that isnt going to be a product of some amazing passing/playmaking leap, it will be his teammates being better and hitting more shots.

Lauri's low APG isn't a result of bad passing or teammates not hitting shots (his AST/Potential Ratio is actually quite high). It's simply that he does not have the ball/do much with the ball in his hands. The defining characteristic about Lauri is that he can score so much without touching the ball much...that's not going to lead to assists. Lauri does not put pressure on the defense with the ball in his hands....not yet anyways.

KqWIN said:

Lauri's low APG isn't a result of bad passing or teammates not hitting shots (his AST/Potential Ratio is actually quite high). It's simply that he does not have the ball/do much with the ball in his hands. The defining characteristic about Lauri is that he can score so much without touching the ball much...that's not going to lead to assists. Lauri does not put pressure on the defense with the ball in his hands....not yet anyways.

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Agreed. At the moment, Lauri's strengths are highlighted when he does not have to hold the ball, but he can make quick decisions off the catch. This will always be his bread and butter, but to put more pressure on the defense, he should be able to hold onto the ball for an extra second or two while still being a threat.

Of course, in principle, Lauri should always prefer a quick decision either directly off the catch or after the first dribble. However, in order to the reach the next level, he should be forced into situations where he has to take the second dribble or face up.

Saint Cy of JFC said:

Pass to who? His job is to get the ball and make quick moves to score.

I would be happy if he can get to 3 APG, but that isnt going to be a product of some amazing passing/playmaking leap, it will be his teammates being better and hitting more shots.

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should be will Key pass on time to Lauri

Some interesting responses. I agree that Lauri is not the quickest thinker and that he often commits to a specific play (drive or shoot) ahead of time and sticks to it. However, I looked at the videos of Lauri's assists and saw clear progress in his passing ability. In his first months with the Jazz his assists were mostly done on the perimeter when the defense made an obvious mistake and someone next to him was open for a 3-pointer. And in his last games of the last season L:auri was passing out on his drives after collapsing the defense, passing in transition, when double-teamed on the perimeter, passing to the bigs inside etc.

Lauri's passing (and reading the game) clearly progressed but he is still being used in the same way as in October 2022. He looks to be totally ready to assume a bigger role in creating for his teammates.

jazznik said:

Some interesting responses. I agree that Lauri is not the quickest thinker and that he often commits to a specific play (drive or shoot) ahead of time and sticks to it. However, I looked at the videos of Lauri's assists and saw clear progress in his passing ability. In his first months with the Jazz his assists were mostly done on the perimeter when the defense made an obvious mistake and someone next to him was open for a 3-pointer. And in his last games of the last season L:auri was passing out on his drives after collapsing the defense, passing in transition, when double-teamed on the perimeter, passing to the bigs inside etc.

Lauri's passing (and reading the game) clearly progressed but he is still being used in the same way as in October 2022. He looks to be totally ready to assume a bigger role in creating for his teammates.

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I remember Hardy saying as much to the media. Drive and kick reads and passing out of double teams were points of emphasis all season, but towards the end of the season they ran some more complex option plays where he had to read the defense and initiate the offense before there was any advantage created.

Small stuff but clearly going the right way.