Lakers’ System Found Its Missing Piece

Head coach JJ Redick has found the missing piece in his 2016 Warriors, 2024 Celtics-style offense. When the Lakers traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic on February 2nd, the biggest issue many media members brought up would be their lack of interior size. With such a huge defensive presence and rim protector out of the picture, Lakers fans and critics were very nervous about if the influx of offense provided by Luka would be detrimental to their defensive performance.

However, the Lakers are 7-2 since trading for Luka and have had one of the best defenses in the league during that stretch. Offensively, they’re not playing their best basketball as stated by Doncic after Sundays’ win vs. the Clippers. While the loss of a defensive superstar like Davis seemed like a big hole in their lineup at the time, it has proven to be exactly what the Lakers needed to complete their JJ Redick driven offense that was modelled after two most successful teams in the past decade.

While Davis provided interior size and presence on the defensive side, the ball sometimes seemed to die in his hands in the post if the play got blown up or the defense collapsed on him. He didn’t possess the court vision and passing ability that Luka brings to the Lakers. More importantly, Luka brings one of the highest basketball IQs in the game which perfectly meshes with both Redick’s vision for an offense, and Lebron James’s ideal running mate.

Luka Came Up in Every Episode of Mind the Game Podcast

In the very first episode of last year’s Mind the Game podcast, both Lebron James and JJ Redick commended Luka Doncic on his basketball IQ. They praised him for his ability to make the right reads by recognizing defensive patterns and attacking mismatches. While discussing how to best guard Doncic in the Western Conference Finals, they both agreed that he has the skill set and size to make most matchups a nightmare for the defense.

“I don’t think there’s a best way; I don’t think there’s even a good way of guarding Luka Doncic in a pick and roll.” stated Redick, to which Lebron laughed before breaking down why exactly that is.

“Luka’s too big at his size and his frame that if you drop his pick and roll, he gets a hostage, puts you in jail, and now you’re asking the big to help up. As soon as you help up, lob to Gafford or Lively or corner kick pass for the three pointer.”

They also discussed how Doncic is one of the most blitzed players in the league. Attracting that much attention is one of the best ways to stretch the floor and create cutting lanes to keep the defense off balance. Drawing two defenders on the perimeter away from the basket and interior creates a ton of passing and cutting lanes but it doesn’t matter without the right reads. The ability to not only draw so much attention, but to also make smart reads is what separates the best players like Doncic in todays’ game.

Postgame Comments Show He’s on the Same Page

The current roster of the Lakers plays a lot like the Celtics did last year, as well as the Warriors of 2015 and 2016. The offense is centered a few players that can play in isolation while also being able to rotate the defense out of position to make passes to cutters. This opens up the ability to kick the ball out for wide open three-pointers just like the Warriors and Celtics do. Ball movement, fake screens and opening the floor all contribute to a fast-paced offense that the Lakers are starting to exhibit more and more.

This style is what head coach JJ Redick wants from his team, as was alluded to by Lukas’ postgame comments when asked about adjusting to the Lakers.

“The first thing I noticed is how connected they play on both ends of the floor. The ball is moving and that’s the first thing I learned, and I watched the first time… I got a long way to go but I’m slowly beginning to feel like myself.”

On the defensive side, putting multiple defenders on the primary ball handler at all times forces the game to come down to the role players. The pressure is on them to make up the points caused by the stifling defense as was shown in the win vs. the Nuggets last week. In the last 5 games vs. the Lakers, Jokic was averaging 25.6 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. That was when the Lakers had Anthony Davis as well.

But last week, the Lakers showed how suffocating their defense can truly be by keeping Jokic to 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in their 123-100 win over Denver. In fact, going into the matchup vs. the Clippers on Sunday, the Lakers since acquiring Doncic were 1st in defensive efficiency, 1st in dunk or layup percentage, and 2nd in field goal attempts in the paint.

These stats further underline the fact that unlocking the offense with the addition of Doncic has made the Lakers need to play a different style of defense due to on court personnel. The defense is now predicated on guarding the perimeter and living with the results that come from collapsing the interior and kickout passes. Since teams are shooting three-point shots more than ever, basing a defense around guarding it has proven to be effective.

Gabe Vincent said after Sundays win that the Lakers are playing with “more life” and having another superstar is making a big impact on all the other players.  “You got guys like ‘Bron and Luka who can get out and push the break themselves and go score or throw a touchdown pass. . .that gives guys a lot of confidence to get out and run the lanes as well.”

Lakers Now 2nd Seed in the Western Conference

Securing the win Sunday against the Clippers put the Lakers in the second seed spot in the Western Conference. In the month of February, the Lakers started getting red hot and have won their last 13 of 15 games. They’re currently riding a 6-game winning streak and have been keeping their opponents to about 100 points per game during that span, which is a league best.

The defense is outperforming what the majority of analysts had predicted it would thanks to the increased efforts of Finney-Smith, Vincent, Vanderbilt, Hayes, and Rui Hachimura. Their scoring potential is downright deadly with the addition of Doncic to an already potent scoring trio of Austin Reaves, Lebron James, and the sharpshooting rookie Dalton Knecht.

The ceiling for this Lakers squad is yet to be determined, but the potential is extremely high at the moment. The defense is keeping opponents down while the offense is slowly clicking and coming together. The playmaking potential should make teams very nervous, especially if the Lakers improve their defense. Heading into the last stretch of the season, everything seems to be trending in the right direction for a team that has had to make a lot of adjustments to accommodate their new star.

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