I meant to get to this earlier, but Kevin Pelton put together a great scouting report of LA’s new defensive scheme at Basketball Prospectus. I watched Los Angeles’ home opener against Portland and noticed the Lakers were overloading the strong-side. I also read Forum Blue & Gold’s breakdown which compared the Lakers to the Boston Celtics. Kurt from FB&G refers to LA’s new defense as a “strong-side zone” (which I adopted in my game recap) and the Lakers are certainly implementing zone principles. Pelton calls it a “strong-side trap.” I covered the Nuggets-Lakers game Pelton references and my first simplistic oberservation was: ‘the Lakers are running the triangle on both ends.’ But without the benefit of video replay, I couldn’t back up my analysis with empirical evidence.
But after watching the Lakers play this week and after reading Pelton’s article, I think my obvious observation deserves mention.
Offensively, the triangle is based upon reads and rotation. The triangle is created by a center or forward in the post, a guard or forward on the wing, and a guard or forward in the corner. The weakside positions a guard at the top of the key and a forward at the free throw line extended (although the diagram below puts the forward below the free throw line).
Defensively, the Lakers have adopted a similar formation this season. Pelton diagrams LA’s defense in his second graph. (O marks offensive players, X marks Laker defenders.)
There are differences between LA’s offensive and defensive formation. The defense is positioned below the three-point line and the four man drops down to the baseline while the two guard positions himself at the weakside elbow.
The goals are different, but the formation is eerily similar. Offensively and defensively, the Lakers are looking to form a triangle on the ball-side. Offensively, the Lakers form a triangle to penetrate the defense through post entry passes, ball hand-offs, and cuts to the basket. Defensively, the Lakers form a triangle to contain penetration and force the ball-handler into traps.
Before the season, I listed the Rockets as the Lakers biggest obstacle in the West. But after watching the Lakers and Rockets Sunday night, the Rockets personnel plays into LA’s defensive strengths. However, as Pelton pointed out in his scouting report, there are “weaknesses” within the Lakers scheme. The weakside is susceptible to skip passes for open three-point shots and a broken trap can put the defense at a disadvantage. The triangle defense can be countered with penetration and ball movement.
Los Angeles’ newfound defensive prowess will be put to the test tomorrow night when they square off against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. Paul may be the best pick-and-roll point guard in the league. CP3 splits defenders with precision and with Peja Stojacovic and Mo Peterson spotting up for threes — and Tyson Chandler rolling to the hoop for lobs — Paul has plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Instead of making game-to-game adjustments, the Lakers have designed a defensive “system.” Los Angeles is currently first in points scored and points allowed per 100 possessions, but has benefited from a relatively weak schedule thus far.
Even though they remain untested, the Lakers improved defense isn’t smoke and mirrors. It’s going to take a special offensive system and a special offensive player for the Lakers to revert to adjusting to their opponents.
