The Zach Lowe Show — “Teams That Need a Makeover on Offense”

Host: Zach Lowe | Guest: Mo Dakhil
Date: September 15, 2025 | Duration: ~89 minutes
Main Theme:
This episode explores NBA teams that are running it back with mostly the same rosters but desperately need to reinvent their offensive approach. Zach Lowe and Mo Dakhil dissect what’s holding these teams back, dig into specific personnel, coaching angles, and tactical tweaks, and debate which teams—Magic, Knicks, Lakers, Heat, Blazers, Grizzlies—can break through their offensive malaise. Also: a deep dive into the Jonathan Kuminga–Warriors standoff and rapid-fire takes on other “offense in flux” teams.

1. Episode Overview & Purpose

• Focus on NBA teams that haven’t changed rosters much but must rethink their offensive schemes to improve next season.
• Major point of emphasis: Exclude teams that got a major new piece, instead zeroing in on teams battling stagnation or playoff failure.
• In-depth breakdowns of the Magic, Knicks, Lakers, Heat, and Blazers, with sidebars on teams like the Hawks, Grizzlies, and Spurs.
• A “timeout” for Jonathan Kuminga’s contract saga and its impact on the Warriors.
• [01:35] “We’re going to focus on teams who did not have major personnel additions … and look at these teams … who are going to look more or less the same, but they have to be different.” – Zach Lowe

2. Team-by-Team Deep Dives & Key Insights

A. Orlando Magic: Offensive Birth, Not Evolution

[Timestamps: 07:05 – 20:29]

• Why pick Orlando: Word is out—they’re a perennial disaster on offense. Twelve straight years in the bottom third for offensive efficiency.
• Key additions driving hope: Desmond Bane—finally a legit shooter & secondary creator, Tyus Jones brings much-needed pick-and-roll play.
• Core Dilemma: Their “offense” has often just been an exercise in giving Paolo Banchero & Franz Wagner tough shots amid zero spacing.
• Shooting woes: Dead last in 3-point percentage last season, even “worse than the Wizards” (14:38).
• Tactical Changes Needed:
  • Play faster (“get into your offense quicker” – [12:52])
  • Explore more two-man and off-ball actions to avoid predictability
  • Unlock Franz Wagner in transition (Eurobasket success cited)
  • Solve the “Wendell Carter Jr. problem”—he must be more than a stationary 5.
• Lineup Experimentation: Paolo at center? Can Bane-Suggs-Franz-Paolo-Black be viable, or is it defensively too small?

“No idea should be off the table right now. This is the time – experiment a little bit, see what you have.” – Mo Dakhil [18:13]

• Big Picture: “The ingredients are there… At the end of the day, those guys [Franz/Paolo] have to make leaps offensively…” – Zach [19:38]

B. New York Knicks: From Good to Championship-Level Offense

[Timestamps: 20:30 – 28:48]

• Situation: 5th in offensive rating last year but playoff scoring stagnated; have a new coach (Mike Brown)
• Key Question: Can a team that’s already “good” on offense reach a level that holds up in high-leverage games?
• Regular Season vs. Playoffs: Heavy reliance on Brunson–Towns PnR; off-ball wings (Bridges, OG Anunoby) under-utilized.
• What’s Needed:
  • More variety, more actions for Bridges & OG
  • Jalen Brunson is “absolutely going to be asked to move off the ball more… and set screens” – Zach [24:55]
  • Possible Sabonis-style usage for Towns—more DHO, playmaking from elbows
• Lineup/Budget Pressure: New bench pieces (Clarkson, Brogdon, Shamit), but needing to shed salary to keep both.
• Bench/Younger Core: “I’d be real hesitant to move on from any rookie on a long-term rookie deal with any kind of potential … Kolek’s already proven that.” – Zach [26:55]
• Bottom Line: “It’s Finals or bust for this team this year if they’re healthy.” – Zach [28:16]

C. Los Angeles Lakers: The Luka-LeBron-Ayton Partnership

[Timestamps: 29:27 – 42:05]

• New Identity: Post-Luka trade, post-JJ Redick hire era.
• The Dynamic: Two heliocentric stars (Luka, LeBron), both need the ball, plus Ayton’s screen-and-roll impact.
• Offensive Problems & Solutions:
  • “There were too many possessions… where LeBron just goes and stands in the corner. I want to see him more involved.” – Mo [31:56]
  • Not enough LeBron/Luka pick-and-roll actions (only 7 possessions with Luka screening for LeBron all year!)
  • Run more, increase 3-point volume, more “off-ball synergy” between Luka/LeBron (slot cuts, off-ball screens)
• Lineup Questions:
  • Who starts at “2” & “4” for optimal defense/offense? Marcus Smart vs. Austin Reaves; Hachimura vs. Vando.
• Ayton Outlook: “I think the Ayton thing is going to work… if you can’t make this work with these two, just… go sign in Europe…” – Zach [40:28]

“If you can’t exist as a roll man for Luka and LeBron, you can’t exist.” – Zach Lowe [40:28]

• Overall: Good offense is expected; defense is the bigger issue for another day.

D. Miami Heat: Stale Schemes, Time to Sacrifice Defense for Offense?

[Timestamps: 42:05 – 52:39]

• The Pattern: Defense-first, limited athleticism, now rock-bottom offense (21st last year, trending in all wrong directions: 24th in FTs, 27th in OReb, 26th in transition, fewer 3s, endless midrange jumpers).
• Personnel Shifts: Norman Powell in (potential starter), Davion Mitchell a defensive option; decision point between double-big and modern lineups.
• Tactical Outlook:
  • League has solved their DHO-heavy sets (“the league has caught up to their whole dribble handoff game” – Mo [46:19])
  • Bam Adebayo needs to be more aggressive, less timid in the midrange
  • “If you’re the Heat, it starts with Bam’s aggression. Tired of the mid-range jumpers.” – Mo [49:16]
  • Spacing critical: double-big (Khalil Ware) is an option but may cramp the paint
• Zach’s Challenge: Lean into offense, even at the cost of some defense (“We can’t be too precious with our defense because our offense is just not taking us where we need to go.” [50:40])
• Big Picture: “If there’s a team that had to spend the entire summer just like, let’s throw it all out and start from scratch on offense, it’s this team.” – Zach [46:05]

E. Portland Trail Blazers: Find an Offensive Identity

[Timestamps: 65:34 – 76:12]

• Statistically Awful: 22nd in offense, 28th in assist percentage, 29th in transition efficiency, 25th in shooting at the rim, 26th from deep.
• Systemic Woes: “There would be one action and then nothing else would happen and someone would shoot or create for themselves… Miserable isolation team.” – Zach [68:37]
• Development vs. Competitiveness: Who should start—Scoot Henderson, Shaden Sharpe, or veterans like Jrue Holiday, Jeremy Grant?
• Zach’s Take: “You need to find out what you have in Scoot Henderson. … It’d be a disservice to the organization if they don’t start him.” [75:07]
• Big Picture: Let the kids play, craft more continuity, and set clear priorities for growth over short-term wins.

3. Rapid-Fire Team Takeaways

[Timestamps: 76:12 – 82:07]

• Memphis Grizzlies: Complete offensive identity crisis last year; pick-and-roll vanished, uncertainty with Ja Morant.
• Atlanta Hawks: Can Porzingis unlock a new pick-and-pop dimension for Trae Young? Should they start Porzingis or Okongwu at center?

  “I’d probably start Porzingis … to align his minutes with Trae Young and maximize the offense.” – Mo [79:01]

• Houston Rockets: New pieces (Durant arriving), fifth starter undecided, Jabari Smith Jr. likely.
• EuroBasket Shenanigans: Sengun called out Giannis’ passing (“not a great passer”), Giannis retorted—Mo and Zach debate who’s right and what level Giannis’ passing is at.

  “I think Shingun’s a better passer than Giannis.” – Zach [81:58]

4. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Magic’s Offensive Futility:

  “They are the Joe DiMaggio of offensive incompetence. Twelve straight years ranked 20th or worse in points per possession—that’s incredibly hard to do.” — Zach [08:15]

• On the Knicks’ Playoff Shortcomings:

  “At a certain point [in the playoffs] it became, ‘well, we know how to game plan against this. Can we stop it? Is a different matter, but we know how to game plan against this.’” — Mo [22:19]

• On the Lakers’ Luka-LeBron Synergy Woes:

  “There were too many possessions … where LeBron just stands in the corner. … I want to see him more involved with helping Luka get off.” — Mo [31:56]
  “LeBron-Luka pick and rolls … Second Spectrum recorded seven instances of that. Total. Seven.” — Zach [34:19]

• On Portland Playing the Kids:

  “I need to see what Scoot [Henderson] can be with real talent around him. … It’s a disservice to the organization if they don’t start him.” — Zach [75:07]

• On Bam Adebayo’s Role:

  “Everything for me with the Miami Heat starts with Bam’s aggression because I’m tired of the midrange jumpers.” — Mo [49:16]

5. Warriors/Kuminga Saga Explained

[Timestamps: 52:39 – 65:34]

• Stalemate: Kuminga wants years and role security, Warriors want a team option, everyone posturing hard.
• Leverage: Both sides have little, but Warriors in particular risk huge PR/trade asset loss if Kuminga takes the QO.
• Best Solution: “Two years, 48 million, no options. … More tradable, not super happy, no one super upset.” — Zach [57:34]
• Backdrop: Kuminga’s player development has been stunted by both staff’s low mistake tolerance and the system-vs.-scorer cultural fit.

“There’s still a mutual need here. … Cooler heads should prevail, and there’s an easy middle ground.” – Zach [64:56]

6. Bonus: Spurs Outlook

[Timestamps: 83:12 – 87:20]

• Both hosts are bullish on the Spurs—but both concerned about shooting and spacing, even with Fox/Wemby/Vassell.
• Defensive optimism: “Defense will paper over a lot of that stuff, especially with Wemby on the floor.”
• Zach’s Homework: Going back to watch every Fox–Wembanyama pick-and-roll just to clarify what the ceiling is.

7. Closing Thoughts

• Most teams discussed need to be far more creative and aggressive in offensive innovation, regardless of roster stasis.
• A recurring theme: coaching creativity and openness to unorthodox lineups can be the “offseason trade” these teams need most.
• “No idea should be off the table right now.” – Mo Dakhil [18:13]
• “If you want to know how one team in this highlight league beat the other team … follow Mo Dakhil everywhere.” – Zach [88:15]

[Episode timestamped for deep dives and standout soundbites. Skip the first six minutes for actual basketball content.]