The NBA Finals are the highest level of basketball and, so far, it has shown how far away the Lakers are and what changes are needed this summer.
We’ve reached the middle of June, when 28 teams all sit at home and watch the final two battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers, who were sent on their Cancun flight before even the start of May, have a long summer of introspection and comparison.
There are no better teams than the Pacers and Thunder to use as a benchmark. The teams with the best records in the league since Jan. 1 have highlighted in their series the significant areas of their roster and style where the Lakers were lacking, as well as the changes they’d be best served to implement for next season.
It all begins with size. The playoffs and LA’s season have driven the point home, but it once again stands out in the heavy blue and white screen set in Oklahoma City. Myles Turner, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein are all legitimate bigs who play vital roles on their respective teams.
They offer counters against the complex defensive game plans and act as release valves for the superstar guards against tough point-of-attack players. The Thunder and the Pacers not only hunt mismatches, but also punish you with decisive decisions.
Watch below as Lu Dort gets hung up on a ball screen by Turner, forcing a switch. Once the switch is established, an immediate seal and post-up ensues.
Turner converts the layup inside off the Tyrese Haliburton assist. Both Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as superstar guards, heavily rely on bigs as wide-body screeners to open them up on the offensive end.
These bigs not only give support as ball screen pairings on offense, but serve as rim protectors to erase mistakes on the perimeter.
LA, in comparison, entered the playoffs with one playable big in lob threat Jaxson Hayes, and immediately abandoned him once the team encountered any resistance. This lack of a big man burned the team in the first round. LA needs a center this offseason, as everyone has acknowledged, and the Finals have only served to emphasize it.
One disturbing trend during the Lakers-Wolves series was not only the lack of defensive personnel but the ease with which they handed out switches to the opposing team. That is a striking difference from the two teams in the Finals, who make you earn every bit of real estate against a hunted mismatch.
The Finals are full of aggressive wings and guards to throw on apex predator ball handlers. Alex Caruso, Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard are a few names that all fight tooth and nail to stick with their man. Watch below as Nemhard chases Gilgeous-Alexander, refusing to get picked off by Holmgren.
Nembhard chases over the screen in the above play and gives solid back pressure to force a pass to Dort, who misses inside. Both teams have a high athletic floor around their star guard with great motor on defense.
The Lakers faced challenges in achieving defensive success on the perimeter due to their roster’s lack of foot speed and the absence of wing stoppers to match up against the opposing team’s best offensive player.
With the exit of Max Christie in the Dončić trade, head coach J.J. Redick turned to players like Jordan Goodwin, fresh off converting from a two-way contract, to contribute as a defensive wing.
The Finals have shown that the best teams invest heavily in high-level defensive personnel.
In addition to excellent personnel, these teams play at a high pace. It’s non-stop ball movement and offensive attacks. According to the NBA’s tracking data, the Thunder and Pacers are two of the top three teams in the playoffs in pace, whereas the Lakers ranked second-to-last.
Watch below, even after a made basket on one end, the Pacers push it up the floor to respond quickly.
In the above play, Haliburton quickly gets the ball across half court, finding Nesmith in the corner for three with 16 still on the shot clock. Both teams push the basketball exceptionally well, giving the defense zero time to settle in.
LA’s offense many possessions wouldn’t even get into an action until ten seconds on the shot clock. A team led by Dončić and LeBron James will always play with a methodical style. However, this approach can result in a stagnant and predictable offense.
The teams in the Finals have demonstrated how playing with pace can create easier advantages, as set defenses continue to improve and grow more complex.
Finally, both of these teams are deep and extend far into their bench. The Pacers have ten players averaging at least 9.8 minutes per game in the Finals, while the Thunder have nine above 8.8.
Both coaches are more than willing to try out and experiment with different matchups, looking for an edge anywhere they can find it.
Players like Thomas Bryant and Isaiah Joe, who don’t perfectly fit the mold of two-way players, have carved out roles based on their specific abilities. LA hopes to find similar production from players like Dalton Knecht, who were completely removed from their rotation and opportunities in the playoffs.
The Lakers won 50 games last year for the first time since the 2019-2020 season and added a generational offensive player in Dončić at the deadline. With that being said, the Finals have demonstrated they have a long road ahead to building and playing like a team ready to contend at the highest level.