How will Mike D'Antoni mesh with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Lakers?

Mike D'Antoni is not Phil Jackson. That is to say, D'Antoni does not have 12 championship rings, five with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But D'Antoni is the new Lakers coach, replacing Mike Brown, who was fired Friday.

The 61-year-old has won 53.4% of his games as an NBA head coach, with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. And he reached the Western Conference finals in 2005 and 2006 with the Suns.

Those Suns teams were defined by D'Antoni's seven-seconds-or-less offense, reliant on quick decision-making, pick-and-rolls and the ability to drain open jump shots.

But how will the D'Antoni system translate with the Lakers? Let's break down how each key player will fit:

Steve Nash: This is the easy one. Nash won two MVPs in D'Antoni's system for the Suns. He executed the pick-and-roll better than anyone ever has, showcasing his elite shooting and passing while steering the offense. Nash is out for now, with a break in a small bone in his leg. When he returns, the Lakers must monitor the injury and his minutes. But he knows the system and can help D'Antoni teach it and execute it.

Kobe Bryant: D'Antoni routinely turned mediocre shooting guards such as Quentin Richardson, Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa into scoring machines by opening them up for three-pointers. But Bryant is too good to turn into a spot shooter. D'Antoni knows this and wouldn't have been offered the job if his goal were to turn Bryant into Bell. Expect Bryant to key the pick-and-rolls and run the offense more often, and expect him to still be allowed his normal isolation plays even as he adapts to D'Antoni's system.

Dwight Howard: The franchise center should be smiling now. D'Antoni made Amar'e Stoudemire into one of the NBA's top scorers based mostly on his ability to attack the rim on pick-and-rolls, and Howard has even more explosive athleticism. It would help if he added a midrange jump shot to his game, to force defenders to play over the top of screens against him.

Pau Gasol: D'Antoni's offense peaked with Boris Diaw and Tim Thomas in the fold. Gasol isn't as versatile as those two, but he's much more talented. Expect the 7-foot power forward to be asked to use his jump shot more and serve as a contrast to Howard's power game in pick-and-rolls. Gasol passes well for a big man and should be able to exploit mismatches and find more open shooters in this offense than the Princeton or triangle offenses the Lakers have used.

Metta World Peace: The instructions always are simple for World Peace: Play defense, hit open shots and don't lose it. When he executes, the Lakers are very difficult to beat. Those tasks won't change under D'Antoni, but it's imperative World Peace quickly respects his new coach as he respected Jackson.

Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison: The Lakers' top two scoring threats off the bench will take on the burden of hitting shots. D'Antoni emphasizes spacing the floor and passing out of double teams. Meeks is one of the best streaky shooters in the NBA, and he has a handful of 20-plus-point games to prove it. Jamison is a former All-Star who has struggled all season. He's not as ideal a fit for D'Antoni's offense as Meeks.

Steve Blake: With Nash out, Blake has taken the reins as starting point guard. That didn't mean much pressure in Brown's system, but D'Antoni relies heavily on point guards. Blake can hit open shots and might be best served playing off ball often because he's not much of a threat attacking the basket. But he is a calming presence with a lot of experience, which should help if things get out of control.

Jordan Hill: The 25-year-old struggled under D'Antoni with the New York Knicks as a rookie in 2009-10 before being traded midseason. Now he's the Lakers' top big man off the bench. He is very active and athletic, so he should be an adequate replacement for Howard in his 15-20 minutes a game while he learns how to maximize pick-and-roll opportunities.