LOS ANGELES – While the Luka Doncic blockbuster trade has certainly dominated recent headlines for the Los Angeles Lakers, almost lost in the shuffle has been how stifling the Lakers’ defense has been. And at the forefront of the Lakers’ defense is none other than LeBron James, the oldest player in the NBA. In fact, Lakers head coach JJ Redick remarked how he believes James is playing at an All-Defensive Team level this season.
Following the Lakers’ 107-99 win against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, LeBron James spoke about his approach to defense in regards to JJ Redick’s assessment.
“I would say it’s a collective thing. But I take that side of the floor very seriously. I take my matchups very seriously every night. To be able to get stops in this league, it makes your offense that much better. It’s just an individual pride for me,” James said. “I kind of key in on a matchup. . .I try to read the scouting report on everybody and just make it tough.”
Before the Lakers traded Anthony Davis, he had the best defensive rating (106.8) on the team, as per StatMuse. In terms of role and sample size, Jarred Vanderbilt (107.2) and Jaxson Hayes (110.7) are the current top defensive players on the team.
But James is right behind them at 112.8. Doncic (105.9) is technically the best, but he doesn’t have as big a sample size as the other players do. The 40 year old All-Star may be in his 22nd season, but he’s certainly been giving it his all on the defensive end.
Lakers defense among the NBA’s best
It’s not just James though who has been a standout on the defensive end for the Lakers the last couple of months. The Lakers are 12-3 in their last 15 games, and during that stretch they have the best defensive rating in the NBA at 107.3, as per the league’s official website.
When the Lakers lost Anthony Davis, it was assumed that their defense would take a hit. And it wasn’t just Davis they were losing. Max Christie often played the role of defensive stopper this season.
But if anything, the Lakers’ defense has only gotten better. Back on Feb. 4 in the immediate aftermath of the trade and prior to the Lakers’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Redick acknowledged how much more important the rest of the guys on the roster were going to be defensively.
“That’s going to require more from Doe [Dorian Finney-Smith], that’s going to require more from Vando [Jarred Vanderbilt], that’s going to require more from Gabe [Vincent], that’s going to require more from Jackson [Hayes],” Redick had said. “It’s not that those guys have to do anything outside of what they already do, but their defensive importance has increased.”
The Lakers still have a good number of games remaining before the playoffs, but with a defense like this, they’ve certainly put themselves in position to be a team to watch out for.
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