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Pundits, analysts, ex-players, and those fighting on social media were virtually all in agreement that a team featuring Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves had virtually no chance to be competitive in the Western Conference — let alone be even a passable defensive team.
“Luka is too out of shape!”
“LeBron doesn’t try on defense!”
“Without Davis, the Lakers have zero rim protection.”
“There’s no chance LA can compete for a Western Conference title.”
Over the last 17 games, the Lakers are No. 1 in the NBA in defensive rating. LA is No. 2 in overall defense, No. 1 in opponents’ points in the paint, No. 2 in opponents’ field goals made, No. 1 in opponents’ field-goal percentage, and No. 3 in plus/minus.
Accomplishing these numbers without Davis — the universally respected big man — is somewhat astounding. What are we to make of this, and why are these trends occurring?
Let’s start with the prominent fact: JJ Redick has been a major upgrade over Darvin Ham. Redick’s ability to orchestrate a far more free-flowing offense has been widely apparent. Whereas Ham functioned more so with isolation sets, Redick pushes the notion of ball movement — even setting up plays where James is essentially a decoy. The emphasis on making Reaves a legitimate No. 3 scorer has worked tremendously well. Few in his position across the league have the same skill-set. By pumping Reaves full of confidence, the Lakers now possess another elite shot creator to utilize both in transition and the half court.
Defensively, the team has benefitted from two major wing additions — Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt. DFS had experience playing with Redick, and the two have a strong bond. Finney-Smith’s basketball acumen is quite high, and he’s the ultimate unselfish glue guy on this team. A legit 6’8″ with length, he’s proven to be highly effective in a scheme he’s comfortable with (and will become even more so playing next to Doncic via their experience together in Dallas).
Vanderbilt is pterodactyl-esque in his ability to irritate using broad shoulders and a gigantic wingspan. He has highly active hands and plays super hard. Being a plus-athlete at 6’9″ with the ability to move his feet laterally has made Vanderbilt a real weapon against some of the better wings in the league.
When you then add those two alongside Rui Hachimura — another athletic wing with size, you’ve got three guys in the 6’8″-6’9″ range with positional versatility on the defense end. In theory, the Lakers won’t have to often use Doncic and/or James on the other team’s better perimeter players.
We saw the combination of these personnel options along with Redick’s coaching prowess this past Saturday. The Lakers went into Denver and stomped the Nuggets from the start. Not only did they run Denver off its court by a score of 123-100, but the Lakers did so by harassing Nikola Jokic in a way few have. In 35 minutes, Jokic went 2-of-7 from the floor for a total of 12 points. He also turned the ball over six times for good measure.
The aforementioned fleet of jumbo wings gave him an immensely difficult time. The combination of length and quickness resulted in a literal frenzy around Jokic whenever he touched the ball. He was fronted, doubled from all angles whether it be coming from the baseline or the perimeter, and as a result, was never able to get into a rhythm. LA also smartly played off some of Denver’s non-shooters — most notably Russell Westbrook — daring him to beat the Lakers from the perimeter.
The offensive component is the most fascinating aspect of the team moving forward. There’s not another team in the NBA possessing two players with as gifted of an offensive repertoire as James and Doncic. Not to mention, a duo with Einstein-level basketball I.Q.
