Los Angeles Lakers: 5 key questions entering the NBA Finals

Takeaways: Game Tape

Takeaway #1: Bam Adebayo’s P&R Defense

Miami’s Bam Adebayo has been consistently switching pick-and-rolls (P&Rs) throughout the postseason, but his ball screen coverage was much more conservative in the regular season matchups against the Lakers. Adebayo tended to drop back towards the paint, keeping both the ball-handler and the screener in mind. Come this Finals, Adebayo would likely handle the below play much differently (switching on to LeBron). Instead, he allows James to get a direct lane to the basket (Adebayo can even be seen acknowledging his error).

The Lakers will have to adjust to the Heat’s new “switch-heavy” approach, but what’s the best way to combat it when they run P&Rs? One option is having Davis (likely guarded by Adebayo) screen for James and then trying to take advantage of Davis’ size advantage when LeBron’s defender switches on to him.

In Miami’s prior series, the Celtics didn’t have big men that could consistently make the Heat pay on these switches (Enes Kanter managed to do so at times). Davis, however, is certainly capable of doing significant damage. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra certainly knows this as well, so it’s not out of the question Adebayo returns to the “dropping” approach at times.

LeBron will surely use a variety of teammates as screeners to try and get lesser defenders switched on to him and create open shots for the screeners when their defenders hedge (briefly double team LeBron). He did this extensively against Denver. But even when Adebayo is guarding James or lurking in the paint, LeBron can’t be too hesitant to go at him.

Bam’s a great defender, but the Lakers are better when James is attacking. This is something James excelled at in his stellar game 5 against the Nuggets. Denver tried to bait him into jumpers, but he found a way to attack the paint anyway (doing so very successfully).

Takeaway #2: Bam Adebayo’s P&R Offense

Just as Adebayo creates problems for P&R offenses, he also creates major problems for P&R defenses. Boston surrendered loads of easy buckets (often dunks) to the big man as he dove on the P&R. How should the Lakers defend this? The Celtics largely deployed a dropping P&R coverage, which Miami’s ball-handlers picked apart using a variety of methods: pulling up for three, scoring in the paint, or dishing to Adebayo for a lob or layup.

Option 1: The Lakers could simply try the dropping approach and hope for better effectiveness. Given that Adebayo is no more than a mid-range threat, Los Angeles’ bigs wouldn’t have to worry about dropping back then scrambling to close out on a 3-pointer from the screener (was a concern against Nikola Jokic in prior series).

Dropping back too far might leave Miami’s ball-handler with decent looks from three if Lakers’ defenders don’t fight over the screen, but none of Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson are quite as dangerous as Jamal Murray in this regard.

Pull up 3-point shooting: 2019-20 postseason

Jamal Murray: 5.0 attempts per game – 43.2 percent

Tyler Herro: 2.6 – 33.3 percent

Goran Dragic: 2.5 – 32.4 percent

Duncan Robinson: 1.5 – 31.8 percent

Davis would have a MUCH better chance than the Celtics’ big men at executing a dropping scheme, and Howard might even fare better as well. Still, Miami’s P&R will win some of these battles.

Option 2: To mix things up, the Lakers can switch some P&Rs, something Davis and likely Howard are also better equipped to do than Boston’s bigs. If executed correctly, this can stymie Miami’s preferred offense. Los Angeles switched the Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic P&R a fair amount with some success, so the concept isn’t foreign to the Lakers’ defense. Switching prevents the easy lobs and layups for Adebayo, but of course, can produce some challenging matchups defensively.

Smaller players will have to check Adebayo, who is capable of overpowering them on occasion. Los Angeles’ defense can send help if needed, however. And although the Miami big man is quite skilled, forcing him to score in isolation is something the Lakers can likely live with. On the other side of the switch, the Lakers’ big man will be forced to contend with the Heat’s ball-handler. This is something Davis should have little trouble with, but Howard could definitely be exposed from time to time.

Overall, the Lakers’ defense should be capable of producing a competent dropping P&R defense. Switching, particularly with Davis at center, could be successful as well, especially since Miami didn’t see this much against Boston. Lastly, although the Heat don’t have an obvious player worthy of the Lakers’ double-team strategy (perhaps Jimmy Butler?), using this on occasion to throw Miami off could prove useful as well.

Takeaway #3: Some Experience Against Heat Zone

The most recent regular season matchup between the teams was more than nine months ago, something that can’t be understated. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean the experience gained from these games is worthless.

Miami’s zone defense received a lot of praise after some impressive stretches against Boston, but the Heat have utilized the zone throughout the regular season. The Lakers saw some of it in their two games against the Heat, and although their exact performance against it is unclear, the team seemed to find some success.

The Celtics improved against the zone as the series went on. One approach that worked was screening one of the zone’s top two defenders, manufacturing a P&R of sorts. The Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff surely took notice of what worked and what didn’t in Miami’s prior series.

Takeaway #4: Dwight Howard’s Potential Impact

Dwight Howard played really well throughout the Denver series, wreaking havoc on the offensive glass and making Jokic work for his points. He’ll be matched up with Adebayo at times, and although the Miami big is a much better athlete than Jokic, perhaps Howard’s energy can draw a foul or two. On the defensive end, he can’t let Adebayo score as easily as he does below.

With Adebayo off the floor, Howard has a chance to make a major impact on the interior (see above). He should be fully capable of bullying Miami’s backup center in Kelly Olynk. On the other end of the court, Olynk’s ability to stretch the floor could give Howard some challenges, particularly on P&Rs. It’ll be interesting to see who gets the better of this matchup. Given how well Howard’s played recently, he’s likely the odds-on favorite.