Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones Jr. show how the Rockets struggles are largely due to the Lakers attention to detail and level of care on the defensive end. Check out the full conversation on “The Dunker Spot” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
How much of this is solvable for the Houston Rockets in, in terms of we can be better about what we are doing, and how much of this should just be salute the Los Angeles Lakers for what they are doing?
Like, what is that split for you?
Nika’s don’t pay attention to what I be saying.
I spent all Wednesday morning talking about these Rockets and Lakers double teams, clipping every possession I could find.
Now what I would say is everyone is talking about how the Houston Rockets have not found a counter, and, they’re not– How do you not beat these double teams?
How did you not expect this?
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You should first deliver credit to the Los Angeles Lakers defense for the execution, the timing, and nailing this in the way that they have.
It’s not easy to consistently show that kind of level of help, to nail the timing on those double teams.
And I think what you have to realize is Houston has attempted to move Kevin Durant around the board.
It’s not just pure pick and roll, but anytime you got a dribble hand-off and they switch, a double’s coming.
It might come from the wing, it might come from Marcus Smart, it might come from a big.
you know, there’s a reason the Lakers are going switch and double when Kevin Durant and Alperen engn are in actions together, because they do not want Alperen engn to operate as a roller.
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And so I think the timing, the intention, and the rotation, and being able to fly around has been huge for the Lakers because, one, they’ve been able to surprise Kevin Durant with the speed.
So anytime that he feels like, “Okay, let me cook,” or, “I hold it to see if you’re coming,” they come at the right time, they rotate to the middle, and they fly back out to the perimeter.
And so for Houston, it’s about, one, tapping into what we talked about with their tempo all year long.
Get into your sets quicker.
If you’re gonna create an advantage, give yourself an opportunity to start, quicker in the clock so you can play out of it.
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And I think we saw a little bit more of that in the third quarter, where they were able to get a little bit more flow.
But nothing has stopped the Los Angeles Lakers from committing to this.
And so it’s okay, are you gonna play out of this?
Are you gonna drive some closeouts?
Are they gonna be able to get them to make multiple efforts and show a second level of help?
a-and more importantly on top of that, right, can we layer other things in?
Can we have something else that we have going?
I think you have the duo of not just what they’re doing to Kevin Durant, the timing of it, and how it’s impacting Houston’s offense, but what they’ve done to Alperen engn, where they said, “Hey, we’ll switch, we’ll push your catches out, and then we’ll show baseline help, or we’ll double, and now we’ll make you think so you’re not as aggressive.
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So we can’t necessarily lean on you during certain portions of the game because y-you’re getting the same treatment to a degree.”
Can we get to Amen Thompson as a screener?
I thought they had a really good idea, in that second half as far as Amen Thompson screening for Reed Shepherd to play off what the Lakers are doing switching-wise.
And then you have Alperen engn lifted.
The problem is LeBron James on the weak side, he sniffed it out, and you didn’t get what you wanted.
But you’ve gotta poke at the Lakers’ defense in different ways.
You’ve gotta make them make multiple efforts.
The Lakers deserve credit, and this is a JJ Redick team that doesn’t love to put two on the ball, but they will do it if we can control the rotations, and that’s what we’ve seen so far in these first two games, especially that game two