![]() Those spots may be harder to access as he ages, and one wonders if the Warriors will try to hunt him on that end. James’ best days as a defensive player were far behind him, but he would choose spots and spurts to lock down. It’s a contrast from the early days of these matchups, where they wouldn’t try to test him too much until they acquired Kevin Durant as the ultimate nuclear weapon. Assuming the Warriors stay with their two-big lineup, James could wind up defending Green, and Green is such a powerful screener they could work James into multiple actions to wear him out. ![]() How Wiggins performs on offense can keep James’ attention, if they should feature him. The Warriors, despite their lapses in concentration at times, aren’t so wont to take their eyes off James.ĭon’t forget, they have Draymond Green who can press James on the perimeter and still has the strength to go with the foot speed if James wants to turn back the clock. Wiggins can get in James’ space, which could force him to drive, but he’s played more off the ball than in any other time, being more opportunistic in taking open lanes for those highlight dunks. on him, a bigger body who conceded the 3-point line but didn’t want to crowd him. Nearly half his shot attempts come from there, and he’s shooting just 19.5% in the first six games of the playoffs. Lately, he’s been planting himself outside the 3-point line. James has the strength advantage, but how often will he go in that direction? But doing it for 40 minutes? We don’t know if he’s capable, largely because the Grizzlies didn’t force James to go to that space more than once.Īndrew Wiggins will certainly spend plenty of time on him and even though he didn’t shoot well in Game 7, he’s gaining his legs again after missing so much time dealing with a personal issue. Will this be a LeBron series, first and foremost? It feels like worlds ago, but James is still working off that tendon injury in his foot that caused so much missed time in the regular season before he returned to a whole new Lakers team and a renewed sense of energy.Īs great as he’s been historically - and certainly Game 4’s 20-20 performance against Memphis served as proof - he can still rev it up on occasion. What will the Warriors do with LeBron James? That could mean he’s more due for efficient explosions. Sacramento’s Davion Mitchell seemed to give him the most trouble - trouble being relative compared to everyone else on the roster, but Curry felt more comfortable after the first two games.ĭespite the 50-ball, Curry didn’t exactly light the world afire from 3 in the first round, shooting 38%. And Curry seems better equipped for physicality. There’s no Kyrie Irving to occupy Curry on the other end, most importantly. Not only is Curry a different player - stronger, more durable and healthy - but these Lakers don’t have the personnel of those Cleveland Cavaliers. It worked in 2016 when Curry was hobbled coming into it and they kept him busy for 40 minutes. During earlier Steph/LeBron tilts, the book on Curry was to use physicality to wear him down through the course of a game, or a series. ![]() He plays about 30 minutes a night, which means Dennis Schröder and Austin Reaves will likely spend a decent amount of time shadowing Curry. It seems like a certainty Russell will only spend so much time on Curry. Golden State will try to do things to get Davis out of the paint, but it’ll be a cat-and-mouse game from the onset.īut Curry may not require ball screens from bigs to get going. It won’t be the layup drill Curry put on in Game 6 where he was pulling his best Harlem Globetrotters act against a thin Kings interior. The strength in the Lakers defense is on the interior with Anthony Davis, and although he didn’t have to play up to the level of ball screens against Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, he’s capable of doing so and negotiating the space with Curry.Īnd he’ll be waiting at the rim on Curry drives. Russell’s best defense against Curry could be his offense, perhaps making him work on the other end and hoping to drain him a bit. All those screens and off-ball actions are bound to confuse good perimeter defenders, let alone someone not as inclined as Russell. Putting D’Angelo Russell on Stephen Curry feels like a recipe for disaster. It’ll be a tougher adjustment coming into this series - honestly for both teams, but maybe the Lakers more than Golden State. Pray to the almighty or whatever higher power they serve because it might be tough sledding for the Lakers. ![]() (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) 3 keys to the series What can and what will the Lakers do with Stephen Curry? Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will face off in the postseason yet again in a highly anticipated matchup.
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