Luka Doncic brought main character energy to the third act. The Denver Nugget had the first half in the bag with a 16-point lead. But a sudden defensive pivot, one that we’d not seen from this squad, changed everything. JJ Redick’s experimentation led the Lakers to a 107-115 win. But even better, it seemed to fix the Lakers’ biggest flaw.

The Lakers’ head coach revealed that the change with a lot of analytical effort that sounds a lot like the tactical adjustments Redick once made as a player during his NBA career. He credited the coaching staff and the players’ execution for tonight’s win.

“I thought our guys’ commitment to the adjustment at halftime was great, and then the commitment to the work that’s required when you do put two on the ball. And look, my staff and I, our analytics team—this is all we’re doing right now. We’re trying to figure out what’s the best way for this team, with this group, to play defense. And you know, throughout the year, we’ve made adjustments in-game.”

Maybe this new look of the Lakers will need getting used to as Redick admitted, “We’re going to have to get a little weird sometimes.” Yet it’s hard to fault it.

Redick’s new defensive strategy is an unconventional trapping system to shield Luka Doncic and maximize the team’s length. Doncic had a triple-double with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. The big glow-up in that stat-line is that all of those rebounds were defensive. That’s going to hurt the ‘Luka can’t play defense’ narrative.

Doncic was very satisfied with his improvement, too. “Yeah, just trying to get more rebounds. Obviously, I’m a guard, but lately, I haven’t been having a lot of rebounds. If I get some more rebounds, that helps my team. So, I just wanted to get some more rebounds.”

Seeing as it works, JJ Redick is going to be emboldened to make weirder defensive maneuvers in the coming games.

JJ Redick’s pre-coaching experience saves Lakers

JJ Redick has seen this movie a lot. When he was a podcaster and analyst, he called out how Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets dismantled the Lakers time and again. He’d see the LA roleplayers fall behind while the Nuggets reinforced The Joker. There’s no 6’11” big man on the floor but that was still happening. So JJ put his role players on man defense.

The weirdness tonight at least stemmed from getting the ball out of Jamal Murray’s hands. It’s a no-brainer now that Murray is the primary offensive focus of the Nuggets who are without Jokic and more starters.

The Nuggets had 37 points in the first quarter, but only 36 points in the entire second half. Murray was held to only two points in the second half.

Top Stories

Charles Barkley Challenges ESPN To Fire Him After Harsh Criticism Of Co-Workers

Caitlin Clark’s Message to Steph Curry Contains a Subtle WNBA Plea, per Analyst

Blockbuster Trade Proposal Confirms Stephen Curry’s Warriors Exit as $55M Star Bolsters Championship Bid

Caitlin Clark Sends Message to Former Iowa Teammate During a Personal Moment

Paige Bueckers Finds Confidence in Unrivaled’s Financial Stance Amid Growing WNBA Uncertainty

Part of it was Drew Timme. The other was aggressive blitzes and rotational changes targeted at Murray. This shift allowed Doncic to focus his energy on the glass rather than chasing guards through screens.

Former DPOY, Marcus Smart led the charge. Jarred Vanderbilt and Jackson Hayes exerted themselves and Drew Timme was a force. Redick was all praise for the team effort.

By leaning into these “weird” changes and demanding defensive rebounding from his superstar guard, Redick has managed to transform a huntable defensive backcourt. We only need them to repeat this night after night.