Lakers Game Preview: Finding The Rhythm Within a Polarizing Matchup with The Jazz
Los Angeles as a unit, and individually, will attempt to shake off their recent loss by getting back on track against a potential playoff opponent.
Welcome to issue #16 of Throwdowns.
I hope you and yours continue to be safe and healthy. Please wear a mask.
Quick note about this one, it will be the first “game preview” I have done under this new umbrella. My aim with these for those unfamiliar with my previews in the past, is to highlight a few numbers/matchups/tidbits that YOU can look for when watching the game.
If there is anything specific you’d like to see included in these going forward, please let me know. With that said, let’s Throwdown.
Regardless of how impressive, explosive or sharp the Lakers have looked in stretches within the Bubble, it is important to keep in mind this team has not consistently played competitive basketball since March. Which feels like eons ago.
Saturday was a good reminder of that. The loss to the continuously overlooked Toronto Raptors ultimately does not mean much in the grand scheme of things. They are a damn good team, and the Lakers even with their miscues, were right there.
But if we are treating these eight games as research, it did highlight a few areas the team still needs to clean up going forward. Especially against playoff caliber clubs.
Today the Lakers will face-off against another one of those type opponents. Although the Utah Jazz are not on the same stratosphere as the Clippers or Raptors, they are still a tough opponent. One of which might be a potential playoff foe this year.
Here are three things I will be paying close attention to in today’s game.
Kelvin Kuo - USA TODAY Sports | Throwdowns Illustration
Finding Success Behind the Arc
In the first two official games the Lakers have played in since the stoppage, the team has shot a dire 21-76 (27.6%) from three. And in terms of their quality looks, they have converted only six of their 29 “wide-open” attempts according to NBA tracking data.
Obviously this is not good for a few reasons.
The team has found most of their success this year on the backs of their Goliaths. Pounding the paint via dump offs, lobs, post ups and drives from their bigs has been a smart strategy considering the team has chosen to go big in an era mostly defined by the relative — small.
Although they normally have that size advantage against most squads, if the shooting from the perimeter goes cold, defenses simply will pack the paint which we saw the Clippers and Raptors attempt.
And you can probably bank on Utah likely doing the same with Rudy Gobert and company.
This strategy dilutes that height edge, congests the interior spacing for LeBron James and adds even more pressure to an already struggling shooting core.
Outside of simply observing if the team is able to make their threes at a better clip, I will be paying extra attention to where the team gets their looks from.
On Saturday, the Lakers attempted 27 of their 40 threes from above the break (non-corner). This is noteworthy because for as easy as it is to overlook the offense with Anthony Davis and James on the team, as a unit, the team has been horrific on these attempts.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Los Angeles is shooting only 33.3% on their above the break chances this year. Which is good for 28th in the league, and just slightly better than the lowly — power-forward heavy — New York Knicks.
In stark contrast, when the Lakers hoist from the corners this season, they are converting their looks at the 6th best rate in the league (40.9%).
Analytically one of the best areas of the floor to generate offense from, it might be a challenge against Utah as they allow the 2nd fewest corner-3 frequency in the league.
Kyle Kuzma’s Defensive Versatility
Depending on who you ask, Kyle Kuzma has one of the strongest cases for who has been the most impressive Laker since the restart.
The shooting, engagement and utilization on offense have all been pleasant additions. Especially with the absences of Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo. But, it’s his development on the other side of the ball that has been the biggest development.
Kuzma has more than held his own against the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Pascal Siakam over this past week. Flashing newfound technical and biomechanical skills at a staggering rate against a murderers’ row of opponents.
At 6’8” and with solid foot speed, Kuzma has always had the tools to be a solid perimeter defender. But it simply never came to fruition since he entered the league and in many moments, has even been the key weak-point that opposing offenses attempted to exploit.
According to BBall-Index’s Perimeter Defensive data, Kuzma was in the 13th percentile of the league this season when it came to being hunted in isolation, specifically on switches.
This coupled with his overall shoddy defensive impact (16th percentile; D-PIPM) puts into context how impressive Kuzma’s recent play has been.
It is easy to be giddy if this is the version of Kuzma the Lakers will have from here on out. Because in many ways, this is the exact type of wing the team has coveted all year and will be vital come the postseason.
However we simply need to see more consistency before we can fully buy-in. The flashes have been spectacular. The results and sample just need to be larger.
Getting more film and data on this vs. the likes of a smaller, quicker Donovan Mitchell and a shifty, angular strong Joe Ingles is something to keep an eye out for.
Strength vs. Weakness
The Lakers and Jazz are an interesting matchup for a few reasons. Statistically, the Lakers’ strength — their interior scoring — is the Jazz’ focal point on defense.
Utah allowed the fifth fewest shot frequency percentage at the rim in the league this year behind Gobert’s waiting limbs. However, they were only 15th in terms of opponents’ shot efficiency once they got there.
This coupled with their aforementioned seal on corner threes presents an interesting clash.
Stylistically, the Lakers might have a big advantage if they decide to push tempo on the Jazz in this one.
Back in May I wrote about how Los Angeles, despite their reputation, performed like one of the best transition teams in the league this year. This is an area where Utah’s sound defense is susceptible.
For as good as their team is in many defensive disciplines and efficiency, defending running teams is not one of them.
On the season, Utah is 28th when it comes to defending the transition (129.1; how many points a team scored on 100 transition plays) whereas the Lakers’ transition offense, is 2nd best.
Keep a close eye on Los Angeles’ running game off of live rebounds in particular as they are keen to finding quick opportunities to score, and with a slowish starting group, Utah might have difficulty in running back in time.
You can catch today’s game on ESPN and Spectrum Sportsnet at 6pm.