James said blitzing is the best way to defend Doncic’s pick-and-rolls. JJ Redick later provided the numbers proving James was right.
The day before the start of the NBA Finals, LeBron James provided his take on how Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic should be defended in the pick-and-rolls.
In the latest episode of the Mind the Game Pod with JJ Redick, James was asked to to provide his thoughts on what should be the best way to play against Doncic defensively.
“I would say blitz. I would say blitz because I look at the other two and… It’s not switching,” LeBron laughed. “They don’t run that many small-small pick-and-rolls. They run a lot of 1-5 pick-and-rolls. The five is usually not as mobile, not as agile, so they try to bring the five up. And they have those two lob threats, which Luka loves. I know that switching is not it, we saw that in Game 2 in the Western Conference Finals.”
“Dropping pick-and-rolls? He’s just too big. Luka’s too big at his frame, at his size. You drop the pick-and-roll, he gets the hostage [dribble], puts you in jail. Now you’re asking the big to make the decision – should I help up, should I give ground? As soon as you help up, lob to Gafford, Lively, or corner kick pass at the three-pointer. I would say blitz and place it on the five-man in the short roll to make the play,” James explained. “Let’s see if Lively and Gafford, and Dwight Powell played a little bit, obviously, because of Lively’s injury in Game 4 and Game 3, [can make the decisions].”
Redick then provided the numbers, complimenting James on correctly naming the coverage numbers-wise.
According to Redick’s research, switching is the least effective way to defend against Doncic in pick-and-rolls, resulting in 1.12 points per chance in the playoffs (112 points in 100 possessions) and 1.15 in the regular season.
Drop coverage was second with 1.10 points per chance. Meanwhile, blitzing was the most effective way to defend against Doncic with a 0.97 points per chance (97 points per 100 possessions) in the regular seasons and a measle 0.67 points per chance in this year’s playoffs.
