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Can Thunder make effective adjustments in playoffs? Don't rule out Mark Daigneault's mind
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- Can Thunder make effective adjustments in playoffs? Don't rule out Mark Daigneault's mind
In this edition of the Thunder mailbag , we look at matchup issues OKC may face in the playoffs:
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@TheRobVera: Small sample, but the Thunder clearly have some matchup issues with the Lakers . Do you get the sense that they've got effective adjustments to make and it's a case of not quite executing or is it deeper than that?
I never want to rule out Mark Daigneault 's mind. The capacity for adjustments, rotational changes, on-court sets and small wrinkles that could change a series.
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But I do think there are some overarching qualities about the Lakers that immediately help them push the Thunder closer to their limits than other teams have been able to.
Rule out the other worldly shotmaking L.A. has displayed in two of the four matchups — though not too much, since it's evolved enough to squeeze into the league's top half of shooting teams. Instead, think about what OKC does well, and how much the Lakers either force the Thunder away from those things or depend on them in ways they wouldn't want to.
Still the league's best 3-point shooting team, the Thunder has thrived behind shotmaking and creation in one of the NBA's most fluid half-court offenses. It's drive-and-kick game and ball movement has earned a lot of those shots, made possible by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams floating through the lane.
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Head coach Mark Daigneault speaks to reporters at the Oklahoma City Thunder training facility in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
It typically either means OKC will shoot well from deep in a game, shoot well enough at the rim to offset those things, or earn enough good looks that it'll survive with some balance of both.
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In its season series with the Lakers, which it lost 1-3, the Thunder shot below 49% from the field in each of the three losses. In the two most recent losses, the Thunder shot lower than 42% from the field.
Of the 61 games the Thunder has played as of Wednesday afternoon, each of the Thunder's four games against L.A. rests in the top 14 in 3-pointers attempted. Three of those games sit in the top seven.
There's a common denominator there: Anthony Davis .
There's something to be said about how frightening his rim protection and deterrence is when they match up. Considered by some as the league's most impactful defender, he's set the tone in those matchups.
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His shot blocking, physicality at the rim and fluid movement have limited OKC's drives — Monday's game was some of the Thunder's worst half-court creation yet — if not forced it to move away from them as games go on. The Lakers have been OK with testing OKC's shooting by way of bullying it on drives. Beyond the looks the Thunder might earn (and miss) against them, it's forced into ones it doesn't want to shoot.
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The end-of-clock stuff, the desperation 3s that wind up being the best possible looks because countless actions and drives have been broken up. That isn't just the Lakers' perimeter defenders being aggressive, which they were Monday. That's Anthony Davis' lingering impact.
And he's happened to do it on both ends in the series. Through four games, he averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, 9.3 fta and shot 55.9% from the field.
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Davis has been overwhelming for OKC. That probably won't change. He embraces the things the Thunder is willing to trade away to play the way it does, things that would probably matter less if he wasn't the defensive juggernaut that he is.
Winning a series against the Lakers would be a series of wins not dependent on shotmaking on either side. It shouldn't come down to whether the Thunder makes the Lakers pay for the countless 3-point attempts it forfeits (or forces). Obviously some shotmaking will be required in a postseason series, but any imperative adjustments likely surround Davis. Lineup changes that ensure he can't roam so effectively, actions that draw him out. Even then, the Lakers (and Davis have also displayed some degree of acceptance in letting Chet Holmgren shoot 3s.
Offensively, he's had stretches where his inside presence and free-throw trips bog the game down.
Finding the necessary adjustments to edge the Lakers will be easier said than done should they meet down the line.
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To make future editions of the mailbag, email questions to jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or message him on Twitter @jxlorenzi .
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Can OKC Thunder adjust to Anthony Davis, Lakers in NBA playoff series?
