The latest mailbag dives into the Lakers upcoming matchup with the Timberwolves, who they should want to play or avoid in the playoffs, and how to attack Rudy Gobert.
In a change from our normal mailbags, we welcomed in our newest staff member and X’s and O’s guru Raj Chipalu to answer some of your questions about the upcoming Lakers-Wolves NBA playoffs series.
As demonstrated in their previous matchup, the Lakers will undoubtedly attempt to force the ball out of Anthony Edwards’s hands. If he can’t get it going, the next player Minnesota turns to is Julius Randle.
Randle ranks second on the team in usage and points. In his first season with Minnesota, he averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and a team-leading 4.7 assists. They heavily rely on his ability to score in isolation from both the perimeter and the post. As has been the case with Randle since even his early days with the Lakers, his jump shot significantly influences his impact. A 34.4% 3-point shooter on 4.6 attempts per game, I believe the Lakers will seek to force, or even bait, him into being a jump shooter.
From there, the next ball handler they turn to is Mike Conley. He provides a steady presence to right the ship, but at 37 years old, he has posted career lows in points and minutes. However, he remains a savvy veteran who is relied upon as an efficient shooter while executing screen actions with Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.
If the team can neutralize and frustrate Edwards enough to make him defer to the other options, the Lakers should have a great chance in this series.
When you have Luka Dončić and LeBron James on your team, there’s no matchup you should fear. That being said, the Lakers have committed to a specific style of play, going center-less, with clear advantages and weaknesses.
Teams that play multiple bigs will have difficulty defending this Laker team. The five-out “death” lineup has too much spacing, shooting and ball handling to be effectively defended by slower-sized opponents.
Even with Oklahoma City’s brilliant season, I see the Lakers as well-equipped to take them on in a seven-game series. They start with two big men, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, whom the Lakers can exploit in screen actions. An early fourth-quarter ejection may have been the only thing that stopped a two-game road sweep in early April.
In the two games following the Dončić trade, the Lakers shot a combined 50% on 3-pointers against OKC, continuously finding open looks against their defensive scheme. This included tying a franchise record for 3-pointers in the first game.
An interesting matchup is against the Warriors, who, following the trade of Jimmy Butler, now have their version of a center-less death unit. Butler and Draymond Green bring a switch-ready scheme to counter the Lakers’ mismatch-hunting offensive style.
On the other end, removing Anthony Davis from the equation complicates defending Steph Curry. In their one matchup since the trade, Curry hunted the Lakers guards relentlessly to draw two on the ball and create offense. He finished the game with 37 points in a 123-116 road win.
You never want to have the mentality of avoiding a team, but I don’t think the Lakers would be too upset to see Houston in the second round instead.
How do you compare and contrast how the Lakers big 3 will create advantages in this series?
Mass focus has been on Luka, given his precedent of playing Minnesota, but what about LeBron and Austin?
— LeGOAT (@xGoatJames) April 15, 2025
I expect Dončić to hunt the Minnesota bigs while LeBron and Reaves attack their perimeter players. Presumably, Conley will be the one they attempt to hide on Reaves to start.
Whoever Conley is defending will be asked to come up and set a screen. Whether Minnesota switches or plays traditional screen coverage will dictate how the offense runs. Reaves can effectively attack in isolation or off-screen, with his offense being a huge factor in how long this series goes.
Expect a lot of LeBron attacking from the post in this series. Donte Divincenzo, listed at 6’4”, is another guard the Lakers will aim to exploit. The Lakers have recently discovered various ways to utilize LeBron, employing him as a bridge to enable the big three to work effectively together.
Whether in the post, isolations, or screens, LeBron and Reaves’ offense will be pivotal to the Lakers’ ability to advance in this series.
Is Gobert the dream or nightmare matchup for us? They’re such a big team, but he doesn’t look to exploit that in the post on O, and our small lineup (Big 3 + DFS and Rui) attacked the bigs of Dallas so effectively last week.
Still, if this series is a battle of rebounding v Jax
— Will Dickeson (@WillDickeson) April 15, 2025
Rudy Gobert is likely to be the most talented player among those most often joked about. There’s no question Dončić embellishes the opportunity to play against him. The highlights of him getting flamed on switches are what go viral, but where the Lakers really exploit him is off the ball.
Gobert is actually an effective switch defender, and according to the NBA’s tracking data, the Timberwolves post a 107.6 defensive rating with him on the floor, which would rank second in the league. Forcing bigs, even those as defensively talented as Gobert, to chase around screens and travel across the court is how you limit their effectiveness.
How teams in the past have exploited Gobert is by having his man set a screen to force a switch. They then attack from the opposite side of the court, leaving Gobert stuck on the perimeter and unable to provide help at the rim, where he’s most elite. I would expect the Lakers to do the same.
The second sentence of this question is key, as Gobert’s main limitation in a playoff setting is his offensive skillset, or lack thereof. The Lakers will certainly switch and keep from sending a second defender on any Gobert post-touch, daring him to shoot.
How much LA can not only limit Gobert’s impact but keep him off the floor altogether will go a long way toward determining the series.