Among the most infamous teams in modern NBA history is the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers. A star-studded group headlined by Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, all of whom finished top nine in MVP voting the season prior, went just 45-37 and earned the West’s No. 7 seed before being swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
Once head coach Mike Brown was fired after a 1-4 start, followed by a brief 4-1 stint from interim head coach Bernie Bickerstaff, the Lakers hired Mike D’Antoni, who
previously coached Nash for four seasons with the Phoenix Suns as they worked in tandem to innovate some of the most efficient offenses in NBA history.
Last month, D’Antoni was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Ahead of his induction, he spoke with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin about numerous topics, including his tumultuous Lakers tenure and why he initially opted to join the organization.
“One of the reasons why I took the Laker job — the biggest reason, other than I wanted to coach — was that Steve was going to be there,” D’Antoni told McMenamin. “So I’m thinking that if Steve and I can get this and put this together, we could be really good. And I remember asking them before I signed, ‘I know Steve’s hurt, when’s he coming back?’
“And they go, ‘Well, he’ll be back by Friday. And if we can get you to sign and you get in here, he’ll be almost ready to go right when you get here.’ That kind of pushed me over the hill.”
Only two games into the regular season, Nash fractured his left fibula and missed the next 24 contests. He suited up for 50 games total, his fewest since 1998-99 and third-fewest of his entire career, and posted the fifth-lowest assist rate (32.8%) of his career. The four seasons featuring lower assist rate were the first four of his career, all of which came before he made his eight All-Star appearances.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Los Angeles’ offense was just 0.2 points better per 100 possessions with Nash on the floor that year — a far cry from his enormous imprint during the previous eight seasons in Phoenix. Back injuries spoiled the majority of his next campaign as he played 15 games and the Lakers went 27-55. D’Antoni resigned at the end of the season.
“Well, Steve never really came back,” D’Antoni said. “And even when he did come back, he was about half himself. And so it was doomed from the start.”
You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.
