The Lakers are about to face the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, and the Lakers have faced the Nuggets in recent years, and their disadvantages have been revealed, and it seems that it will be difficult to beat the strong Nuggets. So what kind of strategy should the Lakers adopt to deal with the new Lakers this year when they meet the Nuggets, and how can they defeat the current powerful Nuggets team?
In fact, after the two teams meet, the Lakers should have a plan, that is, Jokic scores high points in every game. Although Davis is a very strong defensive interior player, he does not have any advantage in the confrontation with Jokic, so Davis is completely unable to limit Jokic, since the Lakers can't defend Jokic inside, it is better for them to change their defensive focus and focus on defending the Nuggets' outside players.
One of the characteristics of the Nuggets is that they will use Jokic's playful passing ability to create opportunities for the perimeter. For example, Murray, Pope and Porter Jr. have very accurate shots. The most important thing the Lakers need to do is to send outside defenders to choke these three men and prevent them from making easy shots. As for Jokic's low-post singles, let him play by himself, and if he takes 40 shots in the game, the Lakers want to see. Because no one can maintain enough physical strength at all times in a long game, let alone Jokic has never been a player known for his physical strength. One person can't beat a team.
The most important thing in this series is Davis's play. If Davis can wear Jokic as much as he can on the defensive end, then he's having the most positive effect. And the Lakers should also try to attack Jokic's interior defense in this series. James and other forward players decisively rushed to the Nuggets' basket. Jokic is not a particularly good rim player, and he may receive a foul prematurely because of this, and if Jokic is not on the court, then the Lakers are not afraid of facing the Nuggets.
So the Lakers need to adhere to two points, one is to attack Jokic's defense as much as possible on the offensive end, causing him to foul prematurely. And the other point is to let Jokic take the initiative to attack as much as possible and not let him connect with his teammates. The most terrifying thing for the Nuggets is not Jokic's individual offense, but the full-blown blossom. Only if the Lakers do both of these things will they have a chance of winning, otherwise they have no chance to challenge the Nuggets at all.