The Three Different Paths of Three Top NBA Defenses

The Three Different Paths of Three Top NBA Defenses https://t.co/Z9vXfHbAo5

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 18, 2021

LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Defensive Rating: 104.0 (1st)
Last Season: 106.1 (3rd)

The James-Davis–Marc Gasol frontcourt is as formidable as expected; lineups with that trio rank in the 96th percentile on defense so far, allowing just 100.5 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. (Those lineups rank in the 98th percentile on offense, too; the Lakers are incredible.)

But the Lakers’ defense is more than just a bunch of individual talents mashed together; it’s also fundamentally sound, making sure to cut off avenues to easy points. L.A. allows the second-lowest offensive rebounding rate in the league and the second-lowest free throw rate. (Unless noted otherwise, all contextual figures in this piece come from CtG, which strips out garbage-time stats.)

That’s a meaningful improvement on last season, when the Lakers ranked 13th in allowing offensive rebounds and 17th in allowing free throws. And they still ranked third in overall defense last season, despite those demerits—so they still have that solid foundation, and are now cleaning up any errors on the margins, too. The sheer size of their front line raises their potential here, as do contributions from the likes of new point guard Dennis Schröder, who’s pulling in a career-best 4.1 rebounds per game despite standing just 6-foot-3. LeBron is grabbing the highest percentage of available defensive rebounds in his career.

Admittedly, the Lakers have been a little lucky with opponent shooting. When they allow a corner 3, it goes in just 30 percent of the time, tied for the lowest percentage in the league. That figure will rise as the season continues; last season, the Lakers were just average in this area, at 39 percent.

But overall, the defense should continue to excel like almost no LeBron unit before—not just because of the starting frontcourt, and not just because of coach Frank Vogel’s established defensive bona fides, but because the rotation has no easily exploitable weak links. According to FiveThirtyEight’s player rating system, every Lakers starter is about an average defender or better, and among the regular reserves, only Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris dip below average. And even if that first line of defense falters, well, they always have James and Davis on the back line to clean up any rotation messes.

Here is the secret benefit of LeBron and Davis’s presence on the same team: Because they’re good for 50 points a night, the Lakers can surround them with teammates who, in LeBron’s words, best form a “defensive team.” That’s why Gasol, signed in free agency, is such a perfect fit—even more than the offensively oriented Montrezl Harrell—even though he averages only 4.4 points per game, with the third-lowest usage rate in the league.

Almost no other team in the league can rely on this particular strategy. There’s a reason the Lakers are favorites to win another title. (Post–James Harden trade, the Nets probably will try the same as they round out the rest of their rotation with more trades and buyout searches.)