2. Perimeter Defense
Heading into the 2019-2020 season, most NBA analysts saw the Purple and Gold’s perimeter defense as a tremendous weakness. Meanwhile, the Clippers added the two best wing defenders in the league- Kawhi Leonard and Paul George– to an already athletic roster.
Therefore, the common consensus around the league was that the Clippers elite group of defensive wings gave them an edge over the Lakers in a seven-game playoff series.
Fast forward to the regular season, and the Lakers have one of the most elite perimeter defenses in the league.
The Purple and Gold feature five guards or small forwards, ranked inside the top 60 in defensive rating (minimum 15 minutes per game), which no other team in the association can come close to matching.
- Alex Caruso: 97.0 (9th in the NBA)
- Avery Bradley: 98.6 (21st in the NBA)
- Rajon Rondo: 100.9 (43rd in the NBA)
- Kyle Kuzma: 101.3 (48th in the NBA)
- LeBron James: 101.8 (57th in the NBA)
Caruso, Bradley, Kuzma, and James have all shown the ability to lock up their assignments out by the arc. However, what makes this group of Lakers’ ballhawks exceptional is their ability and willingness to close out hard on open 3-point shooters. Thus the Purple and Gold are only allowing opposing squads to shoot 33.5 percent from deep, good for fifth in the NBA.
The Lakers perimeter defense has been great, and the advanced stats are encouraging. Still, when things heat up in the playoffs, nobody’s saying that Alex Caruso, Avery Bradley, Kyle Kuzma, and LeBron James are better defensively than the Clippers uber-athletic quintet of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley, and Maurice Harkless.
However, the Lakers have shown that they have a better than advertised perimeter defense, that when combined with their league-best rim protection, gives the Purple and Gold the best D in the NBA.
Before the season began, it was hard to envision the Lakers beating the Clippers in a seven-game series, because nobody could see how the Purple and Gold would be able to stop the mixture of Lou Williams, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Montrezl Harrell.
Now, roughly 25 games into the season, we can see that Caruso is more than capable of harassing Lou Williams. LeBron James has his defensive mojo back, and he can slow down Paul George. Anthony Davis is one of the only players in the NBA with the length and quickness to bottle up Kawhi Leonard in one-on-one situations. And Dwight Howard has the height and strength to contain Montrezl Harrell’s bullrushes to the rim.
We’re only in December, but it seems like the Lakers have the edge over LA’s other team because the Clippers don’t have a player on their roster with the length and agility to cover AD.