After a game in which the Lakers bench scored just two of the 116 points the team put up against the Nets, Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the team's reserves, focusing on Spencer Dinwiddie's offensive aggressiveness, how injuries have impacted the group's continuity, integrating Gabe Vincent, and the differences in building out bench lineups centered around LeBron vs. the ones led by Anthony Davis. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bench Groups

Dedicated to the Study of Lakers Basketball. Hosted by Pete Zayas, Darius Soriano & Mike Trudell.

News

Sports

Basketball

Sports News

Informed by the 2024 playoffs, Pete, Mike & Darius continue their discussion about Lakers roster building, centered around building an defensive identity, the importance of meshing that with the defensive scheme of the new coach, the best utilization of Lebron on defense in his 22nd season, acquiring a defensive swing man, how Jarred Vanderbilt fits into this, the importance of having more athleticism at the guard spot & more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Defensive Identity

Pete, Mike, and Darius continue their discussion about the Lakers roster construction by debating the merits of chasing an on-ball guard vs. a pursuit of more defense and rebounding from the wing, whether the Lakers need an infusion of perimeter athleticism at the guard spot, and why chasing higher perimeter usage should not come at the expense of featuring Anthony Davis more. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finding Force

Pete and Darius debate the pros and cons of chasing a high-usage guard this offseason, diving into the skills and traits this player would need to have to be the right fit, how much they view a player of this type as helping LeBron vs. helping Anthony Davis, and how the salary a player like this commands impacts roster construction and team building.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Star Guards

Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the playoffs by diving into the Nuggets/Timberwolves series and examine how Denver has turned things around to even things back up 2-2. And then later the guys continue their discussion about the roster composition and why offensive versatility and more well-rounded players are necessary for the Lakers to improve.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Solving the Puzzle

With the playoffs in full swing, Pete, Mike, and Darius discuss the Wolves defense and roster build, Denver showing the wear of trying to repeat, the entry point the Cavs used to attack Boston's defense in Game 2, and the back-and-forth nature of the Mavs/Thunder series. And then later, the guys dive into some of the lessons learned from the teams still playing and how it applies to the Lakers. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bench Groups

Download our free app to listen on your phone