Los Angeles Lakers have become one of the main favourites of this season even before the regular season.
One of the best players in the league, Anthony Davis and two-time champion Danny Green, as flagships of the transfer campaign were supposed to provide a significant leap in the team’s class and make the “purple-gold” a real contender for the title.
Nevertheless, the team looked sharpened more in the playoffs than in the regular season. The composition is not deep after LeBron, Davis, Green and Kuzma, there is a decent gap in level, more like an abyss.
The squad is not young – the average age of the Lakers is 29.5 years, they share with Bucks the first line in the list of the oldest NBA teams. At the same time, “Milwaukee” has one more 38-year-old Corvera in the roster, while the Lakers run the main age cheater among non-Africans – Bradley says he is 28, but in previous seasons he played as if he was already five years old as it turned 32.
In general, the composition of the Lakers was not like the composition of the team, which is going to hold a powerful regular season. And here they are – the leaders of the NBA and the only team that at the moment has lost less than 3 times. They already have 2 winning streaks in 5+ matches, and one of them is still active.
If we look at the success of the Lakers at the start of the season, the first thing that catches our eye is defense. The team is in second place in the defensive rating.
There is nothing wildly sophisticated or innovative in defense, this is a classic scheme that is simply properly executed. Davis, Howard, and McGee do a great job at peak n rolls as defensive big ones. Bradley and Green climb over the screen behind the rivals. LeBron kicks in defense, although in recent games he does so less often.
