This season did not start out to be the best for the Los Angeles Lakers. There were some troubles and some struggles that came early on. But the team tried their best to manage it all and maintain a positive position on the table. Then came the transfer window, and one of the biggest trades in the history of the NBA took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.
Anthony Davis, an NBA All-Star center, left so that Luka Doncic, one of the most promising stars in the league, could join the Lakers. Having a defensive gap after Davis left should have been an issue for the Lakers; instead, it looks like they are doing better than ever, and LeBron James is a key part of making that happen.
After Anthony Davis and Max Christie left for the Mavericks, many believed that the Lakers defense would crumble. Especially given the fact that Luka Doncic is not that great at defensive play. But instead of the team crumbling without a Big Man Center, the Lakers currently have the best defense in the league, according to NBA Stats, even better than the Cavaliers.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura both have moved up in position as Jaxson Hayes is the only choice the Lakers have for the center position. This has led the team to switch positions as much as possible, making their defense tight. Jarred Vanderbilt has also made a significant impact on the team since his return. Doncic’s defensive play has improved because of the schematic changes, and of course, LeBron James is there to fill in all the gaps and make their play smooth.
LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the best players in the league right now. And his defensive play has been the talk of the town since the end of last year. After the Lakers game against the Mavericks, Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke of how impactful James has been to the team in terms of their defensive gameplay.
“LeBron’s playing at an All-NBA defense level. People may have perceptions of what he is as a defender. I watch it every night. He doesn’t get scored on in isolation if teams do try to target him. He blows plays up, he’s always in the right position, shifting, recovering.”
And Redick is not wrong, James has been vital to the team’s recovery from the early struggles it had been facing. The turnaround by the team is largely thanks to how much of a genius King James is when it comes to ball play. James currently ranks in the 99.7th percentile of all defenders in isolation situations this season, as per NBA Stats. What more proof would one need?
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