Los Angeles Lakers: 5 keys to beating the Denver Nuggets
3. The Murray-Jokic Pick-And-Roll
Denver’s offense is at its best when Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are operating in the pick-and-roll. When defenses fail to fight over the screen, Murray can burn them from three. When defenses send both defenders with Murray, Jokic can thrive as a playmaker in the open floor.
Jokic has excelled as a mid-range shooter on these plays all season, but he’s been extending his range to the 3-point line during the playoffs, making Denver’s two-man game even more lethal.
After shooting only 31.4 percent on 3.5 attempts per game in the regular season, the seven-footer is up to 44.0 percent (37-of-84) on 6.0 attempts a game in the playoffs.
Besides hoping Jokic cools off from downtown, how should the Lakers defend these plays? After going away from Javale McGee and Dwight Howard in the Rockets series, it looks like Frank Vogel will utilize both big men more against Denver. The Lakers’ defense might struggle against the pick-and-roll if either are guarding Jokic.
When the ball-handler comes off the screen and probes towards the paint, it will be difficult for both McGee and Howard to recover and close out on Jokic (similar to Montrez Harrell above). The ball handler’s defender would be better equipped for a closeout, but if they stray too far towards Jokic or switch on to him entirely, this would let Murray go to work against McGee or Howard.
The best solution for the Lakers is to have Anthony Davis guard the Serbian big man as much as possible. Not only does Davis’ elite athleticism make him better suited for close-outs, but he’s even capable of switching onto Murray. When the Lakers switch, Jokic might be able to feast on the smaller defender, but this is less of an issue when he’s on the perimeter and the defense can send additional help as needed.
The Lakers’ defense below (in their Feb. 12 overtime victory) is about as good as it gets. Caruso fights over the screen, with Davis sliding step-for-step with Murray. Caruso is ready for the pass to Jokic on the perimeter and prevents the shot, forcing the big man to put the ball on the floor. At this moment in the possession, Caruso is guarding Jokic while Davis is on Murray, but the duo then perfectly switches back to their initial defender with Davis helping on the drive and Caruso running back to Murray.
These precise defensive rotations are what made the Lakers so successful against the Rockets. And part of what made the rotations so effective was that the slower McGee and Howard weren’t on the floor. When either is the lone big (no Davis), Los Angeles will have to stay afloat and hope McGee/Howard can bully Jokic a bit on the offensive glass (Howard had five offensive rebounds in Feb. 12 game).
When one of these bigs shares the floor with Davis, Frank Vogel should consider having Davis guard Jokic, placing McGee/Howard on whoever’s playing the four (Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant, Michael Porter Jr, etc.). These matchups would be unconventional and potentially problematic, but having Davis guard Jokic should be the priority.
It will be interesting to see whether the Lakers trap either Murray or Jokic (on pick-and-rolls and in general), a strategy that was deployed against James Harden with significant success. In spurts, and particularly late in the shot clock, there’s no reason Los Angeles shouldn’t try it out and see how Denver responds.
Doubling Jokic could be dangerous given his effectiveness as a playmaker. And if Murray can get the ball to Jokic after he is doubled, the same problem presents itself (along with Jokic’s shooting ability). Still, the Lakers had enough success with the double-team that it’s worth breaking out again, though preferably when Howard/McGee are off the floor.