Off-Season Outlook: Trevor Ariza

Now that the season is over and the O’Brien Trophy is safely stowed away in the confines of the Staples Center it is time to take a look back at the season that was and what each player must do to continue improving their game and make a repeat a reality.  We’re kicking it off with Trevor Ariza because he is such a great young player who may not be a Laker for much longer.  That and we are going in alphabetical order.  Actually, really just the last reason.  Anyway, let’s do it…

2009 Recap:

Last year’s deal for Trevor Ariza was already a steal, but Ariza turned it into downright grand larceny this season.  While his 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game are nothing special on paper, Ariza turned out to be the missing piece to the Laker championship puzzle.  Ariza did exactly what the Lakers needed him to, be a defensive stopper on the wing and knock down open three-pointers. In fact, Ariza was such an impressive defensive presence that he received a few Defensive Player of the Year votes.

When Trevor really came alive though was in the post-season.  Though he had his ups and downs trying to guard Carmelo Anthony, Ariza played a major role in keeping Hedo Turkoglu under control in the NBA Finals and helped keep the Laker offense rolling all playoffs long with devastatingly accurate three-point shooting, drilling 47.6% of his shots from downtown in the post-season, well up from his season percentage of 31.9%.  I’m sure getting to rain treys on the team that gave up on him for chump change certainly helped him dial it in from long distance.

Now Trevor, still just 23 years old, will get the opportunity to cash in on the free agent market making for quite the financial conundrum for the Lakers now that Ariza has developed into an integral part of their team.

YOINK!  Can’t foreget about Ariza’s HUGE steal to seal the win against Denver.

Homework:

As well as Ariza came along this season, he still has plenty of untapped potential, so here are a few things for him to work on over the off-season:

• Get pumped. Ariza has turned into a fine perimeter defender, but Ron Artest and especially Carmelo Anthony exposed him as being a little light in the pants on the defensive low post.  Ariza is a freaky athlete already, so he can stand to add some muscle to his frame without sacrificing his quickness and hops which should allow him to hold his ground on the low block.
• Get inked. No, not that kind of ink, NBA players have enough tattoos as it is.  Ariza needs to get his name signed on the dotted line of a contract… a Lakers contract, that is.  As I’ve said before, finding young, athletic talent is incredibly hard to do, especially for a team that figures to be drafting near the end of the first round for the foreseeable future, so getting Ariza locked up is crucial to the Lakers ability to stay contenders for years to come.  For Ariza, staying in LA makes a huge amount of sense even though other teams might be willing to offer him more money.  Twice already he has been tossed to the scrap heap for failing to fit into a team’s philosophy.  That obviously won’t be a problem with the Lakers, so if he just keeps his butt where it is, he won’t have to worry about turning into a vastly overpaid bum elsewhere.
• Get handles. Now that he has found a somewhat reliable jump shot, Ariza needs to add more to his offensive repertoire to keep defenses honest.  For all his athleticism, Ariza doesn’t get to the hoop all that often because he doesn’t handle the ball very well.  He doesn’t need to become a point guard or anything, he just needs to not seem like a turnover waiting to happen every time he puts the ball on the floor and defenders won’t be so quick to crowd him when he has the rock on the perimeter.
• Get tough. One of the keys to the Lakers’ title was that the team finally shed their Charmin soft attitude.  Ariza helped in that regard by getting in Hedo Turkoglu’s face early in Game 5 (no small feat if you have ever seen Hedo’s ghastly visage up close) and firing up the troops.  Keeping that killer instinct going is what Ariza needs to move into the upper echelon of the NBA defenders.  Just look at the best wing defenders in the league.  They are either gritty (see Shane Battier), dirty (see Bruce Bowen) or just plain crazy (see Ron Artest).  Trevor hasn’t displayed any of those traits on a consistent basis, but once he does he could well become the best in the game.

Tags: Player Review, Trevor Ariza