What’s Behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ Improved Defense?

A lot was happening behind the scenes on February 1st, the day the Los Angeles Lakers` trade for Luka Doncic was finalized. It was easy to overlook what actually happened on the court that night.

The Lakers secured a 128-112 victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, showcasing a strong defensive performance even without Anthony Davis, their best defender. Looking at the game stats, Knicks` key players Jalen Brunson (16 points on 7-for-18 shooting) and Karl-Anthony Towns (17 points on 3-for-12 shooting) had less effective nights, while players like Josh Hart (26 points on 11-for-16 shooting) stepped up.

The subsequent game, a 122-97 win against the Clippers, provided further evidence of this defensive shift. James Harden struggled, shooting 2-for-12 and scoring only seven points. Kawhi Leonard also had a tough time, going 4-for-11 for 11 points. Then, in a 120-112 victory over the Warriors, Stephen Curry scored 37 points but struggled significantly from beyond the arc, shooting just 6-for-20 on 3-pointers.

Over the next month, as the Lakers won 13 out of 15 games and climbed up the Western Conference rankings, coaches and scouts around the league began to analyze that Knicks game to understand the Lakers` defensive approach. The team had transformed from the 20th-ranked defense in the league during the first three months of the season to the top spot.

How could a team without their primary defensive player limit Brunson and Towns to just 30% shooting? What about their success against Harden, Leonard, and Curry? Were these simply off nights for these stars, or had the Lakers, known for using smaller lineups, developed an unconventional defensive strategy to neutralize the NBA`s top offensive threats?

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins suggested that the Lakers were intentionally allowing 3-point shots, challenging teams to beat them from long range. Others highlighted the defensive contributions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent. One scout simply told ESPN, “I think they`re just playing with more intensity.”

While these observations weren`t entirely wrong, none fully explained why the Lakers were effectively shutting down opposing offenses, particularly without their two best defensive players.

Furthermore, a crucial question remained: could this defensive approach hold up when it mattered most, in the high-stakes environment of an NBA championship run?

Around this time, former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski contacted JJ Redick, his former player and the Lakers` first-year head coach, to check in. Krzyzewski, a longtime NBA observer, had been paying particularly close attention to the Lakers this season.

“I reached out to him and joked, `Who would have thought you could actually coach defense?`” Krzyzewski said.

Redick was recognized as a player of the year at Duke, but early in his NBA career, his defensive limitations sometimes kept him off the court despite his sharp-shooting ability. He eventually improved defensively, becoming a valuable player for teams like the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Orleans Pelicans.

“What they`re doing looks straightforward,” Krzyzewski explained to ESPN, “but it involves significant preparation. They are structuring their defense to encourage less efficient shooters on the opposing team to take more shots.”

The concept might seem simple: make scoring difficult for the opponent`s best players while allowing less dangerous shooters more opportunities. However, the Lakers` defensive scheme is actually quite intricate. It originated from Redick and his coaching staff`s offseason analysis of how NBA defenses are currently officiated against modern, space-and-shoot offenses.

Even with an exceptional defender like Anthony Davis, who is among the league`s best rim protectors, it`s nearly impossible to consistently stop today`s NBA superstars in pick-and-roll situations due to the emphasis on 3-point shooting.

Many teams prioritize acquiring strong perimeter defenders to slow down these superstars before they reach the paint and encounter a defender like Davis. However, with the current officiating of hand-checking fouls, even this strategy is challenging.

The Lakers entered the season with another challenge: their starting guards, D`Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, were not known for their strong one-on-one perimeter defense. Consequently, they developed a defensive system to minimize this weakness and reduce the defensive burden on Davis.

The Lakers` strategy was to create the impression of a crowded floor for the ball handler, rather than always directing opponents towards Davis in the paint.

This approach showed promise in the first half of the season. However, the Lakers` defense became more consistent and effective after they traded for Dorian Finney-Smith in late December, and he became a more integrated part of the team`s rotation a few weeks later.

Star players will always find ways to score. The Lakers` approach involves using data analytics to identify the least effective shots of each star player. They then aim to force these players into taking those less efficient shots, rather than their preferred, high-percentage shots.

The Lakers are effective at limiting shots in the paint; only about 39.9% of shots against them are from inside, which is the third-lowest rate in the NBA, according to GeniusIQ, an AI-powered sports analytics platform. Conversely, they allow a high number of 3-point attempts, with 49% of opponent shots coming from beyond the arc, the second-highest rate in the league.

Consider the game against the Knicks: the Lakers swarmed Brunson and Towns, forcing them to pass to less potent offensive players like Hart, Miles McBride, and Precious Achiuwa. Brunson and Towns faced an average of 1.37 defenders per shot attempt, the third-highest rate they had encountered in a game this season, according to GeniusIQ. In contrast, Hart and McBride faced only 0.92 defenders per attempt, the seventh-lowest mark in a game where they combined for 20 or more shot attempts.

The defender guarding the less dangerous player will aggressively help defend the primary threat, often leaving their assigned player open. An example of this was when Vincent left McBride open to obstruct a passing lane to Brunson, who was already being closely guarded by Max Christie.

This strategy is deliberate. The Lakers employ double-teams inside the 3-point line at the second-highest frequency in the NBA, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the Knicks game, McBride picked up his dribble near the top of the 3-point arc and, realizing he was completely unguarded, decided to shoot. He missed badly.

The ball went directly to James, who Redick describes as playing a “quarterback” role in this defensive scheme.

Redick has positioned James as the central decision-maker in their defense, relying on his high basketball IQ to make real-time adjustments and call out defensive coverages. “While quarterback is an offensive position, he is our defensive quarterback,” Redick stated. “His voice and understanding of the game are crucial.”

Watching the Lakers` defense closely, James is clearly directing the action, constantly indicating where his teammates should be and when they need to move.

“In a recent win over the Rockets, there was a play where Reaves switched onto a bigger player,” Redick pointed out. “Almost instantly, LeBron was yelling at him, `Get out of there, AR! Get out!` Plays like that really synchronize our defense.”

The Lakers have struggled defensively when James is not on the court to direct the defense. Their performance dipped noticeably when James sustained a groin injury on March 8th against the Boston Celtics. However, they regained their defensive rhythm after James returned from injury on March 22nd. From January 30th to the end of the regular season, the Lakers ranked sixth in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. They also faced the eighth-most 3-point attempts per game during this period.

In essence, the Lakers allowed a high volume of 3-point shots, but opponents were not very successful at making them. According to GeniusIQ, opponents shot 36.8% on wide-open 3-pointers against the Lakers since January 30th, the third-best rate in the league over that period.

Why? Because the Lakers are successfully forcing the least efficient shooters on opposing teams to take those 3-pointers.

How? Through constant communication, sometimes to the point of losing their voices.

James is the primary communicator when he`s playing, but Jarred Vanderbilt, Finney-Smith, and Vincent also take on this role when James is off the court. Furthermore, there`s continuous direction from the sidelines during defensive plays, with assistant coach Greg St. Jean often becoming hoarse from shouting out defensive instructions.

The result is a defense that has performed significantly better collectively than the sum of its individual defensive reputations might suggest. “People might see us as playing small,” Reaves told ESPN, referring to the Lakers` lineups that often lack a traditional center and rim protector since Davis was traded to the Mavericks. “But we often have five guys on the court who are 6-foot-7 or taller… and when we`re playing well, we are all connected.”

At times, their defense can resemble a zone, as the Lakers pack the paint and rotate to close off gaps and passing lanes. However, it`s not a zone defense in the traditional sense. It`s a combination of modern data analysis and a classic defensive philosophy of denying easy shots to players who are one pass away from a scoring opportunity.

The objective is to play the percentages, to disrupt the opponent`s offensive plans as much as possible. To force excellent players into taking difficult or average shots, while also encouraging less effective players to shoot more by intentionally leaving them open for good shots.

Playing this style of defense effectively requires time and trust in the system. When that trust falters, the defense suffers, sometimes dramatically. But it represents the Lakers` best defensive approach after trading away two of their key defensive players.

Now, in the first round of the playoffs against Anthony Edwards, one of the NBA`s most dynamic scorers and shooters, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team capable of playing both big and small lineups, the Lakers` defense is about to face another significant test.