The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Playoffs, and they will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round starting Sunday at noon Pacific time.
Depth is very important to get through the regular season, but the playoffs often come down to superstars playing at their highest level and elevating their teams beyond the sum of their parts.
For the Grizzlies, that will mean Ja Morant leading the way, and of course for the Lakers, it will mean that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will need to be great on a consistent basis.
As much pressure as some have put on Davis, to the point of saying that he will be the key for L.A., the team still rises and falls on the play and leadership of James.
As long as he excels in these three areas, the Lakers should have at least a real shot of getting past Memphis.
Push the pace
James apparently likes to conserve his energy by not pushing the ball upcourt at a breakneck pace unless the other team’s defense isn’t fully set, but that mindset needs to change now that it is playoff time and his days of still being an elite player are numbered.
The Lakers need to limit Memphis’ transition opportunities, however they need to get out and run as much as possible themselves. The Grizzlies ranked third in defensive rating during the regular season, and they have the NBA’s leading shot blocker and the potential Defensive Player of the Year in Jaren Jackson Jr., not to mention a physical and chippy roster in general.
Los Angeles is at its best when it pushes the pace and scores transition buckets in bunches, and it tends to get in trouble when it settles halfcourt and milks the shot clock. James will be the biggest factor in the team playing its most effective style versus getting bogged down in slowdown basketball.
Shoot well from 3-point range
Despite some injuries, James had his usual remarkable regular season, at least statistically, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists a game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
However, he struggled mightily from 3-point range, making just 32.1 percent of his trey attempts, his lowest such accuracy since the 2015-16 campaign.
The Lakers have improved their outside shooting since the trade deadline, but the book on them is still to make them live off such shots. Since James is second on the team in 3-point attempts just behind Malik Beasley, he will need to be accurate from beyond the arc.
If or when he simply isn’t hitting those shots, he will need to be more selective in when he lets fly from downtown and not settle for such shots, especially when the game slows down and the shot clock is waning.
Get some rest
James played 35.5 minutes a game during the regular season, and that is simply too much playing time for someone who has as much wear and tear as he does.
Late in the schedule and down the stretch of the Lakers’ play-in tournament game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, he looked fatigued at times, and head coach Darvin Ham will need to not play him heavy minutes without it coming at the expense of the team.
At the same time, James can greatly help himself get more rest by playing hard and with force and pace in order to help the Lakers not only win but win by a good margin. That way, he can sit out at least the last couple of minutes of the fourth quarter.
That additional rest would come in handy later in this series, as well as later in the playoffs, should L.A. advance, as the opposition will only get tougher.
