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Montrezl Harrell

What Makes the Lakers’ Aggressive Swarming ‘Attack Dog’ Defense Work?

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In a league where great offense commonly beats great defense, the Los Angeles Lakers have built a championship team around a set of defensive principles that are redefining how defense is played in the modern NBA.

These defensive principles represent a dramatic transformation in how to defend modern analytically driven offenses where unstoppable superstars dominate the ball while surrounded by cadres of dead eye 3-point shooters. While related, these three principles form the heart of the Lakers’ defensive philosophy: defenses need to act rather than react, defenses should leave no man on an island, and defense is just offense without the ball.

The symbiosis behind the evolution of the Lakers’ innovative championship defensive philosophy was the serendipitous pairing of defensive coaching genius Frank Vogel and modern defensive center unicorn Anthony Davis. Just as Draymond Green enabled the Warriors’ innovative switch everything Death Lineup to succeed, Anthony Davis has given coach Vogel the perfect modern center to anchor the Lakers swarming attack dog team defense.

The transition from the passive drop coverage the Lakers’ centers had been playing on ball screens to the aggressive hedging, trapping, and doubling they trusted in the playoffs set the stage for an offseason roster makeover. They replaced older less mobile defenders like McGee, Howard, and Green with younger, quicker, and longer players like Schroder, Harrell, and Horton-Tucker who could thrive in a fast rotating team oriented defense.

So let’s take a closer look at how each of the three defensive principles upon which the Lakers have built their aggressive swarming ‘attack dog’ defense work and how they’ve contributed to the Lakers’ defensive transformation:

1. DEFENSES NEED TO ACT RATHER THAN REACT

This is the core principle Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel has embraced in his defensive evolution from a coach who before the Lakers had built his career on the philosophy defense started inside-out with rim protection. Abandoning passive drop coverage schemes designed to stop shots at the rim for an aggressive outside-in perimeter defense strategy designed to prevent players from getting into the paint was a revolutionary move .

It also was exactly the kind of innovative defensive scheme that takes full advantage of a modern mobile defensive center like Anthony Davis who can both protect the rim and switch and guard smaller players on the perimeter. More importantly, the Lakers’ swarming ‘attack dog’ defense with its traps, hedges, and doubles is exactly what the Lakers need to disrupt the perimeter focused 3-point dominant offenses that dominate the NBA.

The Lakers’ decision to dump McGee and Howard and abandon drop coverage schemes for an aggressive swarming proactive strategy was a first step to a defense that attacks rather than reacts to offensive actions.

2. DEFENSES SHOULD LEAVE NO MAN ON AN ISLAND

The seemingly unstoppable transcendent offensive skills and talent of the superstar players who dominate the NBA today have transformed the cliche that ‘great offense can beat great defense’ into a harsh every game reality. Throw in the analytics preference for layups and threes and most NBA offenses now focus on getting to the rim for an easy basket, driving and dishing for a dunk, or driving and kicking to an open shooter for a three.

Stopping ball handlers from getting into the paint thus becomes defenses’ greatest priority and most NBA teams do this by having help defenders cheat and create a wall and having bigs play drop coverage to clog the paint. The Lakers have instead decided to trap, hedge, and double ball handlers off ball screens to prevent them from beating single coverage and penetrating and relying on multiple coordinated quick rotations to plug any holes.

It’s a gambling scrambling style of defense that leaves no man on an island and focuses on forcing the ball out of the hands of opposing teams’ stars and forcing offenses to adjust to the Lakers’ defense rather than vice versa.

3. DEFENSE IS JUST OFFENSE WITHOUT THE BALL

The idea that defense is just offense without the ball is the mortar that holds the Lakers’ defensive philosophy together. It’s the guiding principle that transforms activity over passivity and team over individual into a system. Approaching defense as offense without the ball fundamentally refocuses everything a team does on the defensive end. The goal becomes to attack rather than just react, to create advantages in numbers and matchups.

Just as offenses run plays to create 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 advantages, the Lakers’ swarming traps and doubles are plays designed to create chaos and force ball handlers to give up the ball to players not as talented or as dangerous. Like many offenses that ‘hunt’ weak defenders, the Lakers’ defense seeks to take the ball out of the hands of other teams’ best scorers and playmakers and put in the hands of less skilled and more mistake prone role players.

The Lakers’ swarming ‘attack dog’ team defense is just offense without the ball and a defensive style that creates mismatches and forces turnovers that ignite the lethal fast break opportunities that blow games wide open.

It’s important to remember that the Lakers swarming ‘attack dog’ defense is still very much a work in progress and far from the finished product playoff opponents are likely to face. Right now, it’s still in the experimental stage. Coach Vogel is still adjusting the system to accommodate his new personnel. The Lakers also still need a mobile modern defensive center who can both protect the rim and switch and defend smaller players on the perimeter.

Right now, the Lakers are in the same regular season mode as last year with Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell mimicking JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard by eating up minutes at the center to save wear and tear on AD. Once the playoffs start, the Lakers will go small and revert to their swarming ‘attack dog’ team defense with a combination of Davis with Harrell or Morris manning the four and five and Marc Gasol becoming JaVale McGee.

This offseason, the Lakers will likely look to make a major move to bring in a modern two way center like Myles Turner, Chris Boucher, or Christian Wood so they can stretch the floor on offense and defend all levels on defense. That’s what the Lakers need more than a third superstar to build another dynasty and they’ve done a commendable job accumulating a portfolio of valuable trading chips to be able to pull off such a trade this next offseason.

In the meantime, the Lakers have a vision for present and the future that’s built upon a swarming ‘attack dog’ team defense that’s the perfect weapon to counter today’s analytic driven, superstar dominated modern offenses.

Lakers Swarming ‘Small Ball’ Defense Creates Chaos & Dominates Nuggets

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Rallying behind the swarming ‘small ball’ defense that won their 17th championship, the Los Angeles Lakers held the Denver Nuggets to 35 points in the second half and under 100 points for the first time this season.

With a lock down second half, the Lakers’ top ranked defense dismantled the Nuggets’ offense, shut down Denver superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and turned a 12-point halftime deficit into a 114–93 blowout. Aggressively hedging, trapping, and doubling Jokic and Murray in the second half, the Lakers’ scrambling ‘small ball’ defense held Nikola to just 13 points on 6–16 shooting and Jamal to 20 points on 7–17 shooting.

After struggling over the last four games of a long road trip, the Lakers and LeBron James were ready to make a statement game against the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, whom they beat 4–1 in last season’s conference semifinals. Fresh from breaking the red hot Utah Jazz’s 11-game win streak and buoyed by Nikola Jokic’s career best 47 points, the Nuggets were seeking a major revenge and redemption game against the world champion Lakers.

Unfortunately, the Lakers were the team to make a statement. After the high powered Nuggets’ offense scored 58 points in the first half, Frank Vogel turned to the Lakers’ ‘small ball’ defense that won the championship. Essentially benching starting center Marc Gasol 5 minutes into the second half, Vogel then unleashed the swarming, trapping, and doubling small ball defense the Lakers had surprised teams with to dominate the playoffs.

With the more mobile Anthony Davis and Montrezl Harrell playing center, the Lakers’ defense suffocated the Nuggets’ offense and created a chaos of turnovers and missed shots that triggered waves of Lakers fast break points. The killer was a 15–0 Lakers’ run to finish the 3rd quarter that transformed a 12-point Lakers halftime deficit into an 8-point Lakers lead that grew as big as 25 points as both teams emptied their benches to close the game.

The Lakers’ top ranked defense had a defensive rating of 96.9 for the game and 72.9 for the second half. The turnover fueled Lakers’ offense posted an offensive rating of 117.5 for the game and then 138.8 for the second half. LeBron James recorded his 94th career triple double and single handedly put an end to the budding Nikola Jokic for MVP campaign with a dominant 27-point, 10-rebound, and 10-assist totally MVP worthy performance.

Game balls to LeBron for his triple double, Dennis for his 21 points and inspiring loose ball double dive, THT for his 17-point, 3-rebound, 2-assist, and 3-steal masterpiece, and AD, Trezz, and Kuzma for energy at both ends. While the Lakers are regaining their championship mojo, there are still questions: Has Marc Gasol become this season’s JaVale McGee? When will Anthony Davis start to play like the second best player on the planet?

For now, the Lakers proved they can still ‘flip the switch’ into championship mode. The challenge will be to stay focused with big games looming this month against the Nuggets in Denver, the Nets in LA, and the Jazz in Utah.

5 Things: Lakers end on a high note

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The Lakers kept a lid on Trae Young, didn’t allow any of the non-stars to play like one, and Anthony Davis was unstoppable on the block and from distance as the Lakers beat Atlanta and set their sights for Los Angeles.

  1. Vogel sticking with what works. The short rotation was back and the result was another W. Might not see Wes or ‘Kieff save for back-to-backs or if someone needs a rest day. Maybe they just want to try and get a practice in and iron out the issues they’ve seen in the film room. Regardless the same 9 guys who played in Boston finished the roadie by beating the Hawks. This rotation has a lot of defense and selfless play to it and I have a hard time coming up with reason why Frank ought not to go with it.
  2. Laker defense fueled our offense and helped give us a big advantage in fast break points. That advantage may well have helped swing the game in our favor. On a night where Clint Capella was a man on a mission and our own transition defense couldn’t quite get a handle on the transition three game the young Hawks play we were able to get key stops and get easy buckets as a result.
  3. Anthony Davis is fine. He hit shots on the block, lob dunks, hooks and step back jumpers from everywhere. He didn’t make a three and the Lakers struggled from that distance all night, but AD had that shot falling and nobody on Atlanta could get him off his game. Inspired effort from AD.
  4. KCP’s continued struggles and how he’s going to get out of them. You could tell from the get go the Lakers wanted to get Caldwell-Pope going. They force fed him jumpers, tried to find him on the break, and mainly seemed to make a little extra effort to involve him in the offense. While he didn’t respond with the best game of his career he did shoot 50% from three and was solid on D. The only way you get out of a slump is to keep shooting, playing hard, and filling your role to the best of your abilities.
  5. The bench mojo. I like this version of the Laker bench for a lot of reasons. Kuzma is playing so cool, so within himself. If he gets minutes he produces, if he only plays 19 minutes he does what he can with the minutes he gets and moves on to the next one. Kuzma is becoming a pro before our very eyes. Caruso kind of came in with a pro mentality but it took his game a lot longer to get the minutes it needed to show what it can be. It’s defense and smart offense. No flash, no highlights (for the most part) just tough defense and make the play in front of you. Trezz is like the living embodiment of a body blow. he just punishes you inside mercilessly.

Day off, maybe a practice. Tough one against Denver on Thursday, Jokic comes into town with a decent MVP campaign hype machine in tow and playing out of his mind. The Nuggets are tough and will be looking for a little playoff payback. Here’s hoping we hold our own and get a W at home for once.

5 Things: The Dreaded “Switch”

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You know the one I’m talking about. The one that all, and I do mean all, sporting teams utilize when they look down on an opponent. The one that allows for little mental mistakes, half-hearted effort, and sleepwalking through quarters (or innings or rounds). The Lakers have been living with that switch a lot this season and, of late, it’s been coming back to bite them.

  1. Unforced turnovers. As a team the Lakers are averaging a little over 14 turnovers per game. That’s too many and it’s one of many little things that have added up to some of our tougher losses. James is right around his career average (3.6 for the season, 3.5 for his career), as are all most of the key Lakers. It’s not so much the number but the manner in which they are created. The Lakers are a team with many new faces and even the old ones are being asked to fill different roles on this incarnation. I expect that, when the games matter more, the screws will be tightened a tad.
  2. The disappearing, re-appearing KCP. The Lakers rewarded KCP for his troubles with a 2 year, $16.5 million deal this summer. He’s come out this season, like others as a Laker, a little flat. His numbers are right in line for his career. That’s good and I’ve always thought of Kentavious as a slow starter. With such a short turnaround it’s expected the guys who were here last season are going to have some dead leg days. But what I find more of an issue are his almost career low shot attempts thus far. The good thing? He’s making a creer high of them from everywhere. Therefor reason stands that the Lakers need to work to get KCP open more often, get him a couple more shots and keep him engaged.
  3. The issues at center. This is not a condemnation of Marc Gasol, frankly the issue might be that we’re not playing Marc enough as he’s averaging a career low in minutes played (19.5) which has resulted in other career low numbers across the board. The bigger issue is Anthony Davis who plays plenty of minutes per game is also averaging career lows in key stats, as well. His scoring, rebounding and blocks are all down. A lot of that might be the same ‘dead legs’ from the turnaround and the season being as early as it is this is certainly an incomplete portrait of what his season will end up looking like. Having said that, as it currently stands AD will not be in the running for any of the major benchmark awards this season. We need AD to be a little more aggressive, poised and focused for us to climb that mountain to bring home another banner.
  4. Unlocking the best version of Dennis Schroder. This one’s a conundrum, his numbers are right about where they were last season, his three point shooting is down. Maybe it’s a matter of adjusting to playing off LeBron along with a whole new team, who knows. It just feels like there’s more for him to bring to the table. Just a feeling, I guess.
  5. Learning the lesson from a loss. Last season’s squad was pretty damned adept at taking the good from the bad. They won the second game after losses in back-to-backs, were stellar on the road and in the Bubble, and didn’t lose 2 in a row until the seeding games which I hoped were more for tuning up than establishing an identity. This team hasn’t shown me that ability to take the good from the bad, yet. I couldn’t begin to fathom why that is: lack of hunger since we just won, the audacity and difficulty in repeating, the new guys. Whatever the case may be this Laker team lacks some of the fire we saw last year. i hope they find the spark.

The loss to Philly ought to have been a lesson in full game effort and buttoning up the little things. The Pistons game was the inspiration for this post. An unforgivable second half team wide absence of heart or spirit. No movement, no grit, nothing that showed us the team’s identity we grew accustomed to. So let’s hope that game is the wake up call (hopefully the only one) this team needs to work these nitpicky kinks out and reestablish their dominance. Go Lakers.

5 Things: Lakers defeat Bulls, 9-0 on the road

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The Lakers have opened up their “Grammy” trip with back-to-back road wins staying unbeaten away from STAPLES. An impressive feat, one that continues last season’s trend and their Bubble play and highlights the Lakers’ “bunker mentality”. While the Bulls are not the Bucks they are no walk in the park, either. They came into the game on a winning streak and are in the hunt for a playoff berth. Let’s dig in.

  1. Lakers bread and butter. Also known as Anthony Davis and LeBron James. When both of them have a good to great game the Lakers are a tough team to beat. Simple as that. When one, or rarely both, struggle the game becomes difficult for us to win. Not impossible, which is a testament to the rest of the team, but certainly more difficult. They’ve both been pretty locked in since letting the win against the Warriors slip through their fingers. Tonight Davis took the spotlight and shined the brightest in a return to city of his birth, Chicago.
  2. The Laker defense is back, different but back. The first half was like watching Nate Robinson in the boxing ring: an outclassed opponent getting beaten up on for a little too long. Give the Bulls credit, they surged in the third but then the bench came in with some better focus and was able to protect the big lead all the way through. I consider that, when the scrubs are in, if the other team doesn’t run it down from a 15-20 point lead to single digits that the bench has done a great job defensively. It got close but they kept it above 10.
  3. Laker turnovers of the unforced variety. Still too many, way too many. At least three Lakers (definitely AC and LBJ) simply dribbled the ball off of their own feet and out of bounds. Toss in one of the worst entry passes Talen Horton-Tucker will ever throw and some lazy post entries the Lakers definitely have one area of the game they can focus on in practice: valuing the basketball to a higher degree.
  4. Coming back down to Earth. Across the board the Lakers are starting to come back down to Earth from three. While I was hoping that Caruso would continue his nova hot start from three, that Kuzma would rediscover his rookie stroke and that guys like Wes Matthews and Schroder would light it up the team as a whole are trending towards the mean. Not unexpectedly. We’re on the road, these guys aren’t historically knockdown shooters, and the Lakers aren’t designed to be an elite three point shooting team. The good thing is they continue to dominate in the hustle and heart stats which easily overcame a 4-19 showing from three tonight.
  5. But Jamie you missed the Bucks game. Yeah, I know. That was a great game, too, one of LeBron’s best this season. After a hot start by Giannis the Lakers settled in and played their game for the last 3 quarters. They have similar weaknesses as last season: who finishes the game since GA can’t shoot free throws? The one dimensionality of a Giannis-led offense. Not enough play makers. Should the Lakers and Bucks meet in the NBA Finals I would take the Lakers in 5, if both team rosters remain unchanged and in good health.