Finally, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak talks up his analytics department.
Los Angeles recently sent out a press release, reporting the hiring of Clay Moser, a longtime coach and former Lakers scout, to a new position: assistant coach/director of basketball strategy, USA Today Sports reported.
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The move comes a couple of months after reports that the Lakers lost out on free-agent big man LaMarcus Aldridge because their presentation was more about the team's association with Hollywood than about the team's plans for Aldridge based on its analytics.
Kupchak said he would prefer to keep some things about the organization private but recognizes the need to give a progress report to a fan base disgruntled by the team's .292 winning percentage the last two seasons.
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"I understand that (need to share more regarding their internal structure)," said Kupchak, who is entering his 16th season as general manager. "We're going to be judged on the product and whether we win or lose, but the last couple of years, we're not winning. And our goal is going to remain to win games. But we do have to, I feel, we have to show our fans that we're doing everything we can to get back to that spot. If that means sharing these inner workings of the organization more so than we ever did, then we have to do that."
Kupchak introduced Director of Analytics Yuju Lee and Associate Director of Analytics Aaron Danielson, both of whom were already on the Lakers staff (Lee since 2012 and Danielson since 2013).
He added that former Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich and his son, Trey, also have joined the Lakers' analytics staff.
"The five people that we talked about who are in charge of accumulating, acquiring and interpreting the data, I feel they measure up to anybody in the league," Kupchak said. "I would put them against anybody in the league ... I would not hesitate to put our department in a debate with any other (analytics) department (of another team). I know that they would be great."
It's the first time anyone has associated the Lakers with the term, "great" in the last few years.
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