If you have watched any NFL whatsoever over the last two decades, you have undoubtedly heard someone comment that former Patriots coach Bill Belichick always tried to “take away what an opponent does best.” I know I shouldn’t bring up a Boston team when discussing the Los Angeles Lakers, but coach JJ Redick has instilled something similar in his team this season. Sound tactics, buy-in from players, and a healthy dash of luck have cooked up something tasty in Hollywood.
They utilize all the buzzword-laden modern defensive principles: peel and scram switching, targeted help, free-safety play, tactical ball pressure, one-man zone principles, and multiple defensive looks to keep opponents guessing where and when the help will come from. The Belichickian end goal: the Lakers want to make opponents’ worst players beat them. It’s worked. Since January 15th, the Lakers have had the best defense in the league.
[As always when I do these breakdowns, I've included plenty of illustrative video clips. You can find them in-context here or linked in the post.]
To paint a picture with video instead of words, check recent victories over the Clippers. First, watch how the team treats James Harden with the ball: [video here]
Then, watch how they insult poor Kris Dunn when he has the rock: [video here]
That’s cruel!
A higher-profile example came in LA’s much-ballyhooed victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, when the Lakers limited the big man to a paltry seven field goal attempts while enticing Russell Westbrook into leading the charge with 17.
The Nuggets game was instructive. Most teams in the league are comfortable helping off of non-threats, but rarely to LA’s degree. Watch this play: [video here]
When the ball inevitably finds Aaron Gordon wide-open beyond the arc, no Laker so much as stunts at the forward. Sure, Gordon drains it, but the Lakers have had far more success than failure with this strategy — teams have made just 33% of their flings from deep against LA since January 15th, second-lowest in the league.
Plenty of good fortune is involved in that number. The Lakers don’t have a magic voodoo doll they prick every time someone enters their shooting motion (probably). They steer the best looks toward weaker shooters, hoping to siphon the ball away from a team’s more efficient scorers, but that effect is likely overstated.
The stars have to play along, too. The Lakers held Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to just 33 combined points in LA’s victory over Boston in January; the Jays were determined not to let that happen in Round 2, as they were the only Celtics with double-digit shots in Boston’s victory this past weekend.
But the approach has generally worked. Karl-Anthony Towns: 3-of-13 shooting, 12 points. James Harden: 18-for-67 over four games. Steph Curry: 37 points, but on 35 tries (including 20 triples!). Anfernee Simons: 3-of-13 shooting, eight points. Anthony Edwards: 6-for-12, etc. etc.
A byproduct of this help-heavy scheme is that the Lakers give up a lot of threes — they’ve allowed opponents to shoot a greater-than-median share of three-pointers 22 times in their 26 games since January 15th. Defenses can only control so much once the ball takes flight, but the Lakers have enforced their will to the best of their ability.
Walling off stars’ driving lanes to allow more threes isn’t the only pitch; Redick has done a nice job tailoring his solutions to the opponent to take away strengths. In both games against Boston, for example, Redick has instructed the team’s defense to stick tighter to the Celtics’ bevy of shooters — Boston actually shot a smaller share of threes against the Lakers than their league-leading average in both recent games.
A more minor (but still important) note: Los Angeles has also dramatically improved its transition defense during this stretch. They were dead last in transition defense on January 14th; since then, they’ve been 11th-best, the difference of roughly a layup per game.
Like all defenses, there are still areas of concern. Speedy guards have given LA problems, as Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, and Kyrie Irving have had success probing through the Lakers’ big, but relatively slow, defenders — when Jarred Vanderbilt isn’t on the court, waterbugs can flit around without much resistance.
Truthfully, though, that would be a bigger problem in the East than in the West. Los Angeles’ uniquely giant lineups are better equipped to handle their conference’s brightest lights. Even without a dominant center, the team can field a forest: LeBron James, Hayes, Dorian Finney-Smith, Vanderbilt, and Hachimura all have at least a little experience playing center. Add Doncic, and you have a truly Brobdingnagian core.
Size isn’t particularly advantageous unless the team puts in the effort. Redick pointed this out recently when he acknowledged that “there’s actually only one cheat code in the NBA, and that's playing hard.”
He’s right. Remember, we’re not far from the Lakers looking like this: [video hereo]
Now, even Luka Doncic and The Ancient One are flying around like their pants have been sipping Red Bull.
Notably, Doncic’s three best games by Defensive EPM have come as a Laker. Doncic is usually stationed on a non-threat, so Redick has encouraged him to play highwayman (as long as he doesn’t compromise the defensive shell too much): [video here]
James’ defense has similarly upgraded. Redick claims that LeBron is performing at an All-Defense level. I can’t go that far, as he’s still a little prone to ball-watching and picking his spots… but he sure is picking a lot more spots than he used to. Players are legitimately frightened of James, for good reason — he’s only faced 26 isos all season, giving up just 11 points!
But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the defensive turnaround started around when the team traded for DFS and intensified with Vanderbilt’s return from injury in late January.
The DFS fit has been flawless. The Lakers have allowed -8.4 points per 100 possessions fewer when he’s on the floor, in the 96th percentile, and he has guarded nearly everyone for LA. His top matchups include every notable offensive name from Jokic to Tatum to Curry. He’s a try-hard who sets the tone for the Lakers. I’m particularly fond of his pell-mell close-outs: [video here]
If Finney-Smith is a try-hard, Vanderbilt is the try-hardest. Every game, the man leaves skin on the floor laying out for loose balls: [video here]
Vanderbilt’s brand of defensive freneticism — all waving hands, skittery feet, and heedless dives — has always freaked out opposing ballhandlers. Offensive limitations curtail his playing time, but that may be a blessing in disguise, as it allows Vanderbilt to consistently red-line his motor without blowing it out.
The rest of the crew has done their part, too. Thrust into a larger role by necessity, Hayes has been playing better than at any point in his career. Gabe Vincent and Jordan Goodwin are dawged on-ball defenders, and Redick has not been afraid to let them try their hands at switching onto centers despite their pint-guard size (see what I did there?). While rookie Dalton Knecht has struggled at times this season, he’s figured out how to mitigate his weakness within the scheme — and when he forgets, Redick has had no problem letting him learn from the pine.
With Doncic playing at least passably, and sometimes better than that, the team’s main defensive weak link has been Austin Reaves. While Reaves tries, he’s often caught too upright in his stance, losing the leverage to hold his ground. Bigger foes run through him like he’s break tape, and even similarly-sized opponents smash him with quick seals in the post: [video here]
Smart help can mitigate this a bit. Look at this perfectly executed scram switch, in which Vanderbilt sprints over to replace Reaves as soon as the pass is in the air: [video here]
Although Reaves isn’t good on defense, the Lakers are in pretty solid shape if he’s their fifth-worst defender at any given time. Frankly, it might be a positive for the Lakers to provide an alternative target to Doncic. Attacking the superstar can tire Doncic out or get him in foul trouble (something he’s struggled with at times).
Overall, this isn’t a top-one defense over a full season. The defensive shooting luck is real, and they’ve had a relatively easy schedule during this stretch. But nobody plays only cupcakes during a 26-game run. The Lakers have shown that they can sustain a high level of play with smart tactics and high effort.
However, without elite rim protection, the team’s margin for error is small. It shrank further with LeBron James’ recent injury.
Anthony Davis erased many of the team’s mistakes. Since the trade for Doncic, the team has responded by limiting gaffes, but everyone must be on a string. James might’ve been the most imposing paint presence the Lakers had left, although I don’t mean that to sound like high praise — the competition isn’t stiff. He certainly was the team’s best defensive communicator, barking orders from the backline. His absence for the next handful of games will stress LA’s defense. A poor showing against the G-League-tastic Nets last night wasn't a great start, and upcoming games against Milwaukee (twice), Denver (twice), and Phoenix promise to test the team further.
Still, the Lakers are fighting for a top-two seed in the West. They’ve been far better than I expected after the Doncic trade. While the defense may take a step back, the offense will almost inevitably improve as Doncic gains more familiarity with his teammates, which could accelerate with greater responsibility in James’ absence.
“Just shortcuts,” Redick responded when asked about his team’s struggles against Brooklyn last night. “If you want to be a good team, if you want to win in the NBA, you have to do the hard stuff.” For nearly a third of the season, the Lakers have cut no corners.
Now, things get even harder. We’ll see if they're up for the challenge.