3 advantages the Los Angeles Lakers have over the Brooklyn Nets
By Jason Reed
2. The Los Angeles Lakers have better overall team defense
Kevin Durant is an elite defensive player because of his size and athleticism alone, but his defensive IQ makes him even better. He is on the same level defensively as Davis, so that is a wash.
As far as the rest of the team is concerned, though, the Lakers have the edge.
LeBron gets an unfair rub of being a bad defender but he is still a really great help defender and when he really wants to turn it on he is more than an above-average defender. Certainly better than Brooklyn’s other star.
It is more than just the superstar duo, though. Marc Gasol is still one of the better defensive centers in the league, although he will have a smaller role as he ages.
Wesley Matthews is a fantastic wing defender, Alex Caruso is a top-five defensive point guard in the league, Dennis Schroder is an above-average defender off the bench and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the textbook three and D guy.
The Nets are not awful defensively, but their bread and butter is going to be what the team can do with all of its offensive weapons. As the old adage goes: defensive wins championship.