The Miami Heat represent a new challenge for the Los Angeles Lakers’ defensive versatility, one that will require a new strategy and new adaptation.
The Los Angeles Lakers are set to meet the Miami Heat in the upcoming NBA Finals.
Coming from a conference run where they had to battle teams led by ball-dominant superstar point guards, this time they find themselves facing an opponent which does not rely heavily on a single player, much less a point guard.
The Heat boast a roster with six players averaging in double figures in the postseason, none of them beyond 20 points. Also, four of them have four assists per game. Rarely we have seen such a balanced team reach the finals. But this is what Miami is all about. The culture, the hard work, the collectivity.
Damian Lillard. James Harden. Jamal Murray. These are among the premier point guards in the league and they are the ones the Lakers had to build their defensive strategy around so far. With maybe the only exception of the Denver Nuggets, which rely also mainly on Nikola Jokic, the primary task of LA’s defense was to stop (or at least limit) those players in their offensive role. The rest would come consequently.
Now, Los Angeles’ plan and mindset will have to shift dramatically, as they will not be able to focus their defense on one player to try and slow down the entire offense but have to prepare to play against a team without a clear scoring leader or playmaker on the roster. It is a different player every night for the Heat. From Tyler Herro‘s historic rookie night to Goran Dragic‘s rejuvenation.
If Alex Caruso has been praised as the best player for the Lakers in containing some of the unstoppable point guards of the league, this time it is going to be a team effort. Everyone accountable for his man, potentially the best player on the opposing team night in and night out. It will not be possible to take into consideration double teaming.
Miami represents a unique challenge for the purple and gold, as they almost equally get their points from attempts inside and beyond the arc. This reinforces the idea that there will not be any special emphasis on the defensive plan.
Everyone will have to make his job with great attention. Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard patrolling the area and anchoring the defense, the others on the perimeter. Anyway, Jimmy Butler and co. are not an overly scary three-point shooting team, and it comes in Lakers’ favor with a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in the paint for long stretches of the game.
Also, LA has proved to be extremely competent in quick and precise rotations, a great help against an equitable lineup, and zone defenses could come in handy as well. Switching on screens a necessity.
Once again the Los Angeles Lakers will have to prove their versatility on their half of the court, trying to make defense, for the last time this season, their most dangerous weapon.