How the Lakers are dominating the paint in unconventional ways

Despite not having the type of perimeter threats that can drive into the paint consistently, the Lakers have found other ways to cause serious damage at the rim.

There aren’t many — if any — sure things in sports. But when the Lakers first paired LeBron James with Anthony Davis back in 2019, even the most ornery skeptic could feel safe chiseling into stone this team was going to kick a ton of ass in the paint. And they have.

From an individual position standpoint, you’d be hard-pressed to count on a single hand the number of players better at getting to and finishing around the cup than James and Davis. When you line up both on the same side? History has shown the headaches and bruises that await the opposition.

Since the duo linked up in Los Angeles, the Lakers have only had one season where they have ranked worse than second in the NBA in terms of the percentage of shots that have come at the rim.

It’s not only the volume of their bludgeoning attack that has put defenses in a bind, but also their stellar efficiency once under the basket. The Lakers’ 70.4% shooting within four feet this year is the team’s best mark since James and Davis joined forces.

Unlike other seasons, however, they have accomplished this feat despite James’ ongoing slugfest with Father Time and more pressingly, the lack of downhill threats on the roster.

Other than their stars, the majority of the Lakers’ players create their paint points through craft rather than brute force. This is especially the case in the backcourt.

While D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves can snake their way into the restricted area, it’s often thanks to the pick that freed them up as neither is athletic or strong enough to blow past or move their defender on their own with any regularity. The recent signing of Spencer Dinwiddie was an attempt to address this fact.

At only 38.6 drives — defined as any touch that starts at least 20 feet of the hoop and is dribbled within 10 feet of the hoop, excluding fast breaks — per game, the Lakers average the second-fewest penetrating chances in the league.

The natural takeaway is the team shouldn’t be as potent as they are in wreaking havoc at the rim because of this. And yet, the Lakers find themselves tied with the Indiana Pacers for the most made shots on average within five feet this season.

You may be asking yourself: huh?

Which is fair.

A good follow-up, then, would be: how are they getting so many chances at the rim?

Although the Lakers do not employ a stereotypical perimeter player like Ja Morant or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who can crumble a defense to dust from the outside in, they have found other ways to find equivalent inside looks.

One of the key ways that Los Angeles has bulldozed their way through the defense’s barriers has been by creating openings out of their pick-and-roll game.

While nearly every team in the NBA derives offense from screen-roll actions, the Lakers are arguably more uniquely equipped to exploit its potential. Because the team has several playmakers on the roster, there are an exponential number of pick-and-roll combinations in their Rolodex that defenses have to gameplan for.

Guards can set inverted screens for their bigs, James can be deployed as a terrorizing short-roll roller or they can simply dial up an over-the-top look for Davis on a whim, a luxury that has continued to be successful.

But this wasn’t always the case.

Whether it was the growing pains of adjusting to 5-out spacing, new personnel or simply missing shots, the Lakers’ pick-and-roll offense struggled out of the gates.

Since then, however, they’ve seen a steady uptick in terms of efficiency. It is now at a point where it’s become one of their most reliable and effective forms of offense.

While the pick and roll has played an important part in their attempts at the cup, the biggest contributor is likely the in-house improvements in both ball and body movement.

After listless and selfish play in the half-court early in the year, Los Angeles is tied for first in assists per contest in their last 15 games. The improved passing has been a team-wide development, but individually, the biggest strides have come from their center.

It’s not that Davis was a poor decision-maker in the past, but there were many instances where he allowed the defense to dictate the terms. A reactive passer compared to a proactive one. That is no longer the case for Davis, especially out of the post, an important distinction given how much time the team spends on the block.

According to the league’s tracking data, the Lakers have logged 409 post-ups this season, the second-most among all teams. While this has bolstered their rim chances, it conversely also directly led to early-season stagnation. Before the new year, the Lakers averaged an AST% of just 5.2% on their post-ups (25th in the league).

Things have drastically changed since then.

Between Davis’ remarkable improvements in reading the floor and the team’s crisp off-ball cutting, the Lakers’ AST% has jumped to 11.6% (fifth-best) in their last 15 games. During that span, Davis has assisted on the 3rd-most makes out of the post in the league.

It’s not just the post where Davis and his teammates have used on-point passing and cutting to their advantage. It’s now being felt in every action and spot on the floor. Whether it’s Davis making reads out of the team’s Delay series or Russell threading the needle, the Lakers are making a living at the rim and having a lot of fun doing so.

The other way the Lakers have won the paint battle can be seen in the when instead of the where.

One of the staples of the team during the tenures of James and Davis has been their dynamic transition game. Always a league leader in frequency, the Lakers have relied on their early offense again this season to swarm their opposition before knowing what hit them.

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Lakers not only have the highest percentage of their possessions come at the start of a transition play in their last 15 games but also lead the pack when it comes to attacking off of live rebounds.

Given the defense’s tendency to load up in the paint to prevent James and Davis from getting to the basket, going earlier than later makes it extremely difficult for the opposition to build a wall when they’re on their heels.

Through hit-aheads and leakouts, the Lakers have shown the ability to turn any game into a track meet despite still playing slowly; they still have the second-slowest average speed on offense. An oxymoron, yes, but also illustrative in how they’ve had to be creative to make up for what they do not have.

Aspects like improved gameplan execution, passing and running smarter, not faster, have all helped the Lakers construct a collective driving force without the drives themselves. In the process, they’re proving there is no copy-and-paste formula when it comes to doing something well. In their case, it’s about manufacturing points in the paint.

Sure, it helps to have two stars who have made a living at the rim in their careers. But to simply chalk up the Lakers’ offensive turnaround solely because of James and Davis’ talents ignores the real improvements that have transpired both schematically and individually from a team-wide perspective.

The Lakers are not the youngest, fastest or even strongest group. But what they are is smart and skilled enough to find the shortcuts on their route when the speedway is closed. Even if it means they have to conjure them up out of thin air themselves.

You can follow Alex on Twitter at @AlexmRegla.