The defensive clinic the Los Angeles Lakers put on against the Denver Nuggets over the weekend was truly incredible to watch. Even more impressive is they did it without Anthony Davis or any prominent big man who can legitimately stand up to Nikola Jokić. That’s what the Lakers are still missing after the reversed trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams. Still, with JJ Redick using the size and force of the players he had available to him in a combined and collective method of attack, they shut Jokić down. While I’m sure the Lakers front office would still like a center other than Jaxson Hayes, the size and strength of their different position guys can make the Lakers unpredictable title race contenders.
Are the Lakers An Unpredictable Force In A Title Race?
Bill Simmons Believes Lakers ‘800 Pounds of Dudes’ Can Force A Legitimate NBA Title Race
Brian Windhorst has been saying it for weeks on various ESPN shows like First Take and NBA Today: the Lakers are unbalanced. It’s true; they have size and depth all around, except for the paint. However, Bill Simmons of The Ringer doesn’t necessarily see their center issue as a detrimental loss, considering the size Los Angeles carries elsewhere on the roster. He’s referring to LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Luka Dončić, for the most part. Despite a big man who can take on the biggest, best centers in the league, like Jokić, the Lakers’ size, and physicality elsewhere make them dangerous. Simmons talked about it on the most recent episode of his podcast, The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“They just have size and physicality that I think they you saw it against the Celtics they bullied the Celtics now you know slightly different team but when they have Rui, LeBron, and Luka all together like those, that’s like 800 pounds of dudes.”
“The fact that the defensive numbers are what they are—like, if they were ninth or 11th, the Lakers, I’d be like, ‘Okay, that’s a little fluky. There’s probably something there.’ But when you’re in the top five, when you’re in the top three, that’s not fluky. At some point, I think JJ is a legitimately good coach.”
“And I thought what they did last night to Joker—who was terrible because they made him terrible—was impressive. But then you just look at it, and at some point, it’s just math. Last night, LeBron and Luka had 59, 19, and 12.”
LA’s Perimeter Size Is Daunting
LeBron (250 lbs), Luka (230 lbs), and Hachimura (230 lbs) alone weigh over 710 pounds combined. When you add Austin Reaves (200 lbs) to the mix, their starting four surpasses 900 pounds. That’s not including Hayes (220 lbs), who will likely remain the Lakers starting center the rest of the way. Then you have Dorian Finney-Smith (220 lbs) and Jarred Vanderbilt (214 lbs) coming off the bench. Both are tall and lanky and play hard defense every minute they’re on the floor.
If you take out the fact that Hayes isn’t a top-tier, premier center, the Lakers size everywhere else is enough to make them a formidable defensive team, and we’re seeing that already. The size and physicality that Redick pushes from LeBron down to the seventh or eighth man off the bench makes them unpredictable, as Simmons pointed out. This advantage allows them to dictate the tempo, win physical battles, and force mismatches against smaller teams. They shut down Jokić because they attacked him with 2 or 3 bodies at a time and would impede him from getting to spots on the floor. This is how the Lakers can take out the likes of the Nuggets or other Western Conference foes with big centers. This is how they can make a title run: unmatched size and physicality.
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