Why the Los Angeles Lakers offense can be even better

In 2020, following the preaching of coach Frank Vogel, the Los Angeles Lakers leaned heavily on their defense to win the NBA title. The team ranked fourth in points allowed per game, 107.6, and first in blocked shots, 6.6 per game. In the postseason they gave up just 106 points even though blocks dropped to 5.3.

During the off-season, GM Rob Pelinka opted to upgrade the offense with the acquisitions of Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol. Many thought the defense might suffer that as a result.

Yet anyone who watched the second half of the Lakers victory over Denver saw that the defense is as strong as ever. LA held the Nuggets, a team that had won six of its last seven games, to just 35 second-half points and a total of 93, the first time this season they scored under 100 points.

Overall this season the Lakers rank first in points surrendered, 103.6, and are the only team in the NBA that hasn’t allowed a team to score 120 points in any game. And even though many fans continue to cry out that the team desperately needs a “rim protector”, the Lakers rank third in the league with 6 blocks per game. They are also at or near the top in most other defensive categories.

What about the attempt to improve the offense? Last season the Lakers averaged 113.4 PPG, 11th in the league, while shooting 34.9% behind the three-point line, ranking 21st. This season, despite now shooting 37.9% from deep (seventh-best), the team is averaging only 111.9 PPG, 13th in the NBA.

Even though the Lakers have the best point differential in the league, it is still their defense that is leading the way. But the good news for Lakers fans is that the offense may well catch up in time for the postseason.

Here are three reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers offense will get even better:

1. Anthony Davis

Every time we think that the “real AD”, the superstar who was voted to the first team All-NBA last season, has returned, he has a subpar game. And he is more frustrated by the quality of his play, especially on offense, than anyone else.

It appears that the unprecedented short break between seasons has impacted him more than anyone realized. Davis took a physical beating last year, and his body needed more time to fully recover than the schedule permitted.

AD scored just 13 points against Denver, but he took only 8 shots. That’s because the Nuggets, reacting to his dominant performances against them in the postseason, constantly swarmed him whenever he had the ball with at least one and often two extra defenders. Their strategy worked in part because they limited him, but of course the Lakers still easily won the game.

In the 5 previous games, Davis had averaged 25.8 points on 52% shooting (49-94), which resembled the player we saw last season. However, his free-throw shooting during that span (68%) was still well below his 80% career average and he connected on just 3 of his 13 three-point attempts.

AD will almost certainly continue to make progress towards a return to full form. The goal, after all, is to have him as healthy and as sharp as possible for the playoffs, not for any February game. In the meantime, he continues to shine on the defensive end.

It’s a pretty safe bet that Anthony Davis will be more impactful in the postseason than he has been so far this season.