Lakers News: Pundit Speculates On Why LA Revamped Its Frontcourt Depth
With your Los Angeles Lakers' regular season starting soon, the biggest threat to the Lakers trying to get back to the NBA Finals will be the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Denver is led by superstar Nikola Jokic, and LA had all sorts of problems defending Jokic in the postseason last year.
In a recent appearance on The Hoop Collective Podcast, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN laid out how to slow down Jokic, which is something that nobody seemed to be able to do last postseason. He appeared on the Hoop Collective Podcast to give his thoughts.
“You get physical with him. You try to bother him. You try to get under his skin. You try to get him to get agitated with the refs, get agitated with everything else, start complaining about every little thing and affect his game that way. I’ve seen the Lakers do that where they got physical with him and at times it has worked but last postseason I didn’t see many teams get physical with him because I don’t think they really had the personnel.”
Per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com via The Hoop Collective Podcast
LA decided to boost their frontcourt depth this offseason, with the thinking of throwing multiple bodies at Jokic if they were to meet Denver in the playoffs again. Having guys like Anthony Davis, Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes all teaming up to take turns at him could give them an advantage that they didn’t have last season.
But it does come down to Davis and how he ultimately defends Jokic when it matters. Davis is the Lakers best defender, and they are going to need him to step things up majorly on defense against the Nuggets big man this season.
“I want to see Anthony Davis taking Nikola Jokic inside, getting him in foul trouble. That's the way that I think the Lakers can beat them. Which is for Anthony Davis to absolutely make Nikola Jokic work on the other end.”
Per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com via The Hoop Collective Podcast
If Davis can even contain Jokic, it would give a major advantage to the Lakers. Jokic thrives off of his offensive game and has struggled on defense in the past. So, if Davis makes him work offensively, it could tire him out for when he does have to play defense.
Hopefully, we get to see another Lakers and Nuggets playoff series this season, because each game of the series would be must-watch TV. The two teams will be matching up against one another to open the year shortly, and we can’t wait to see what this season has in store!
Are you following us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or LA Sports Report yet? Join the conversation as we discuss the latest Lakers news and rumors with fans like you!
