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Los Angeles Lakers cannot overlook the Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 keys

By Kevin Germany

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks guards LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Staples Center on December 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks guards LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Staples Center on December 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers cannot overlook the Minnesota Timberwolves

All Los Angeles Lakers fans got an awesome Christmas present when the Lakers scored 139 points in a masterful performance against the Dallas Mavericks. They now host the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are tied for first place in the Western Conference (with all the other 2-0 teams). It is natural for the Lakers to overlook a young team like Minnesota after a bounce back win against Dallas, a solid playoff team.

Nevertheless, they cannot afford to develop bad habits over the course of the regular season, as these habits will come back to haunt them in the playoffs. The Minnesota game will give us a clue as to whether good or bad habits will be adopted this season.

By no means am I suggesting the Lakers should treat every regular season game with playoff-level intensity. LeBron James or Anthony Davis should never play more than 30 minutes in a regular season game. They are the deepest, most talented team in the NBA. They can afford to manage LeBron and AD’s minutes and still be in prime position come playoff time.

Championship teams often do not become dynasties because they display bad habits during the regular season. On the flip side, dynasties extend their title window longer than expected because they never deviated from the good habits established in their initial title run (the Tim Duncan-era San Antonio Spurs comes to mind).

What are those habits? It is different for every team. For the Lakers, it is about these three key habits on defense.

Habit #1: Getting back on defense
The Lakers ranked dead last in transition defense last season. This was obviously not a problem during their championship run, but it looks like this problem is rearing its ugly head again: they gave up an average of 16.5 fast break points in their first two games, which is exactly how much they averaged giving up last season.

Even in their masterpiece against Dallas, their transition defense was not so masterful.

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1342650435841253378

Dallas guard Jalen Brunson may have blown by Alex Caruso on this play, but the help defense was unhelpful. Markeiff Morris was in no man’s land between the ball and his man. Morris should have either cut off the drive or deny the pass to his man. Montrezl Harrell and LeBron James, as the weak side help defenders, were a step or two late in cutting off the drive.

The Lakers shoring up their help defense in transition is key because Minnesota likes to run and has several prolific scorers who thrive in transition. D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns are known bucket getters. Malik Beasley has developed into a big time scorer on the wing. Rookie Anthony Edwards, the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, gets buckets coming off the bench.

Habit #2: Defending the paint
Again, this is a small sample size, but this stat is concerning nonetheless: the Lakers have averaged giving up 52 points per game in the paint (they gave up 45.8 points last season). It is especially concerning because their two opponents, the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks, are perimeter-oriented on offense.

Minnesota has Karl-Anthony Towns, a formidable low post presence. However, KAT is unlikely to play due to a wrist injury sustained in their win over Utah. Anthony Davis, listed as questionable due to a calf injury, will probably not play either if KAT is out. If AD cannot go, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell and Markeiff Morris must dominate Minnesota’s backups inside.

Habit #3: Controlling the rebounding battle
The Lakers must dominate the rebounding battle against Minnesota, especially if KAT is not playing. They barely won the rebounding battle in their loss against the Clippers. They absolutely annihilated Dallas by 40 rebounds en route to a 23 point shellacking. The more dominant the Lakers are on the boards, the more likely they will win.

Related: Will rebounding cost the Los Angeles Lakers a championship?

After all, board men get paid.

Conclusion:
Ironically enough, a former Lakers great can guide them in their quest to repeat. Former Lakers coach and current Miami Heat team president Pat Riley documented in his best-selling book, the Winner Within, described in great detail how the Showtime Lakers failed to repeat as champions in the 1986 NBA Playoffs because the Lakers did not maintain good habits over the course of the regular season.

When the playoffs came around, they were unable to muster up the level of play needed to defeat the much-inferior Houston Rockets in the Western Conference finals. Ralph Sampson’s iconic turnaround shot booked the Showtime Lakers a miserable stay in the Heartbreak Hotel.

Riley’s quote should heed as a major warning for this season’s Lakers: “When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat. After a while it becomes more innovative in thinking up how to lose than thinking up how to win.”

So what will the Lakers do against Minnesota?

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