In their 3rd game of the NBA restart, the Lakers take on the Jazz today. After a nice win over the Clippers and a not so nice loss to the Raptors, the Lakers are 1-1 and look….okay, I guess? Their defense has been mostly good, their offense has mostly struggled–especially from behind the arc.
The Raptors game was particularly frustrating as the Lakers clanked away on shots generated out of the double teams the Raptors threw at Anthony Davis all game. The Raptors rotated wonderfully out of these doubles and not all the shots the Lakers took were wide (or even especially) open. But they were the types of shots you need to convert if you’re going to make a defense pay for sending so much attention a single player’s way. The Lakers did not make Toronto pay, so they were forced to pick up the bill themselves. Unfortunately, they left their wallet at home.
As for the Jazz today, they represent their own challenges defensively, but not quite the same ones the Raptors and the Clippers did. The Jazz may have the best individual defender of any of the teams the Lakers have faced, but they do not have the type of wing/perimeter defenders who, when flanked by size in the paint, really give the Lakers issues. No, the Jazz have that elite rim protector in Rudy Gobert, but with Bojan Bogdanovic out injured, they’re wanting for wing size that is a necessity for giving the Lakers issues.
That said, in order to unlock their offense and play at their best on that end, the Lakers will need to make some tweaks–if not in the starting lineup, than over the course of the game. The Lakers have been able to best counter the Jazz this year by playing AD at the 5 and then stretching the floor with more perimeter talent. This has forced Gobert away from the rim to defend AD, and allowed LeBron (and crew) more driving lanes that both open up shots at the rim and allow for kickout passes to open shooters when the Jazz rotate to help in the paint.
With that, I’ll be very interested to see:
- How well JaVale and Dwight play. Neither have played to the level they were before the league shut down.
- Whether Kuzma can continue to play well and, if he does, whether he gets even more minutes.
- If Markief Morris earns more than just spot minutes that are mostly matchup dependent or if that’s his fate on this specific Lakers roster.
The interesting thing about focusing on the four players I just did–not only against the Jazz, but vs. the rest of the league–is that the Bron/AD Lakers will always be a frontcourt dominant team and the other F/C types who are on the roster with them will need to find ways to play well even when they’re playing with other PF/C’s in Bron and AD. They players who can do this best, should play more, not just against the Jazz, but when the games start to matter more.
On the defensive side of the ball, this is a game where I think the Lakers are going to miss Avery Bradley and his work at the point of attack. Whether vs. Mike Conley or Donovan Mitchell, Bradley’s strength and dogged ball pressure come in handy and can help slow down the best way the Jazz can attack these Lakers. I wonder if KCP and Danny Green (who both can be a little stiff at the point of attack against shifty ball handlers) can slow down their backcourt counterparts. This may be a game where Caruso anticipation defending in isolation can be more useful, even if I worry that Mitchell’s size and explosiveness may give him problems too.
Where you can watch: 6:00pm start time on ESPN and Spectrum SportsNet.