The Lakers Are Guarding SGA Wrong. The Film Proves It.

The Lakers came into Game 1 with a plan: double Shai Gilgeous-Alexander early, force him off the ball, and make the Thunder beat them with someone else. It did not work. And when you watch the film, the reasons why are obvious.We break down every double-team the Lakers ran at SGA in Game 1 and show you, possession by possession, what went wrong. Marcus Smart was out of position. Luke Kennard was not guarding anyone. LeBron James is not mobile enough to be the second man in a backcourt trap on a guard of SGA's caliber. And every time the trap broke down, Oklahoma City had the perfect answer waiting.Chet Holmgren got wide-open looks. Alex Caruso hit a triple. Jackson Hayes was left guarding perimeter players while the rim sat unprotected. The Thunder do not need SGA to score when you give them 4-on-3 situations on a spread court. They have too many off-the-dribble weapons for that to ever be a safe bet.This is what poor defensive execution looks like at the highest level. And if the Lakers do not fix it before Game 2, SGA will not need 40 points to win. He just needs to keep passing.
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