After a week inside the NBA bubble, here's what we're seeing and hearing about all 22 teams. Topics include Luka's step-back being a weapon for the opposition, LeBron's numbers against elite defenders, Boston's struggles against bigs and much more. https://t.co/Qoow4jB9gB
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) August 5, 2020
Los Angeles Lakers
Matchup to watch: LeBron vs. big wings
One ongoing storyline this season has been LeBron James’ struggles against some of the league’s elite defenses. The Clippers, Bucks, Raptors, Celtics and 76ers all have long, athletic wings to throw at James, and his effective field goal percentage drops from 55% to 48% against those teams. He’s not able to isolate nearly as efficiently, with his points per iso chance falling from 1.04 (well above league average) to 0.9 (not great) in these matchups, according to Second Spectrum data.
In his first two games in Florida, James averaged 18 points per game and shot 13-for-34 overall against the Clippers and Raptors. He bounced back against the Jazz, who are lacking perimeter depth. This is something to monitor as things progress.
Another reason why the Lakers need to play AD at the five when we play teams like the Clippers, Bucks, Raptors, Celtics, and 76ers to stretch defenses and spread the floor to give LeBron more room to attack against big wing defenders. The deeper the Lakers get into the playoffs, the more we will see AD at the five. It’s inevitable if the Lakers are going to win it all.