1. The Lakers have a defensive-minded head coach
New Lakers head coach Frank Vogel knows how to get his teams to stop their opponent consistently. He coached the Indiana Pacers to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014, and in both those seasons they finished first in defensive efficiency.
This is not to take anything away from Alvin Gentry, or anyone else who has ever coached Davis in the NBA. Luke Walton, in his own right, got results on the defensive end for a good part of his tenure with the Lakers.
But Vogel is probably on another level.
The former Pacers head coach said at his introductory press conference that he wanted to start his defense by protecting the rim. Traditionally, teams have used a rim-protecting big man like Davis as their defensive backbone, and although defensive schemes have evolved over the years, have a great shot-blocker is still a huge luxury.
Offense and defense may be equally important, but defense must be a constant. If nothing else, if your halfcourt offense is struggling or in the early stages of its development, as it should be early next season due to the Lakers’ new additions, you can get lots of transition buckets by playing good D.
Davis is the biggest reason why the Lakers can have a championship-caliber defense in 2019-20. If the team succeeds at that, he should have a great chance at becoming next season’s Defensive Player in the Year.