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The Los Angeles Lakers are recreating LeBron’s version of the Miami Heat

By Kevin Germany

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 18: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with LeBron James #23 during the NBA preseason game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 18, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 18: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with LeBron James #23 during the NBA preseason game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 18, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

Can this season’s LeBron play like the Miami version of LeBron?

LeBron was a major defensive force in Miami and in his first stint in Cleveland, earning first-team all-defense honors in five consecutive years from 2009 to 2013.

He has not been on an all-defensive team since. LeBron has mostly dialed back his defensive intensity during his second stint in Cleveland and with the Lakers.

Part of the reason for that is to preserve his longevity. It takes a considerable toll to consistently play locked-in defense over the course of an 82-game season. Even near-superhuman athletes like LeBron must put it on autopilot at some point.

But the main reason why LeBron has dialed back his defense in recent years is that he has been asked to do far less. Both Cleveland and the Lakers adopted a far more conservative defensive scheme with LeBron on the team than Miami did.

LeBron’s role went from covering the entire court in Miami (not easy!) to only covering part of the court in Cleveland and LA.

Advanced statistics explain this difference in greater detail.

During his last season in Miami, he was among the league leaders in total distance covered on defense, traveling 1.17 miles per game. Whereas last season, LeBron covered 0.98 miles per game on defense. 

Nearly a fifth of a mile per game is a significant difference! Over the course of an 82 game regular season, LeBron ran an extra 16.4 miles in his last season in Miami compared to last season.

And that mileage is not just running in a straight line. It is sprinting and cutting throughout an NBA game. The speed of the NBA game is so fast that players often have less than a second to make the right decision.

Can this season’s LeBron play this kind of defense on one possession? Because Miami’s version of LeBron did this several times each game.

  • Rotate to the basket to protect the rim
  • Closeout on his man on the perimeter
  • Switch onto a post player (e.g. Tim Duncan)
  • Forcing a player like Duncan into a missed shot
  • Grabbing the rebound then immediately pushing the ball up the court

This was the absolute prime version of LeBron doing all this! Miami’s entire system was based on him defending at an elite level – while commandeering a modern-day NBA offense.

There is no way the Lakers should expect LeBron to do this now.

LeBron only played Miami-level defense when it was really needed. Then again, that entire Miami team only played Miami-level defense when it mattered most.

That was by choice. Miami always coasted through the regular season then turned it on in the playoffs. This season’s version of LeBron may not have that on/off switch anymore.

In recent years, he has been notorious for missing defensive rotations and jogging back on defense. Those habits are not unlearned overnight.

He has displayed flashes of Miami-level defense at times, but not enough of them to convince me that he can consistently defend at this level when needed.

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