Any team that rosters Luka Dončić is going to have to learn how to adjust to defenses blitzing ball screens.
Few players in the league, if any, are as dangerous in the pick and roll as Luka. The easiest way for opponents to keep him from doing damage is to stop him before it can really start. That typically manifests itself in blitzing Luka with two defenders on ball screens.
When things are clicking, the Lakers can quickly turn that into an advantageous 4-on-3 scenario. Things have not been clicking for
them yet this season, though, and they certainly weren’t in the team’s loss to the Warriors.
While Luka had a huge night with 37 points, the rest of the Lakers struggled as they blew a big early lead and dropped their second game of the season. After the contest, Luka spoke about teams doubling him in the pick and roll and how the team needs to adjust.
“We just need to do better with that,” Luka said. “You create an advantage with two on the ball and you got to go score. It’s four on three so we have to be better there. …We have to be aggressive to score. It’s an advantage, four on three, and I think we have to be way better at this.”
At the beginning of that process is the chemistry with Luka and Walker Kessler. But nearly every aspect of the process is a work in progress, including making good on the opportunities they create when they have an advantage.
“I think the biggest thing is just shooting the shots that we get,” Jake LaRavia said postgame on Friday. “A lot of times when you pass up open shot opportunities, it turns into a disadvantage for us and it ends up into either a missed shot or a turnover and we’d much rather take the good shot over that. It’s just something that we’re going to learn more as the season goes on and as we see this more often.”
The irony of LaRavia being the one saying they can’t turn down shots considering how he ended last season. Even on Friday, there were multiple open looks he did not take from three. But, if nothing else, that just means he’s the one who has heard the most about the need to take advantage of those opportunities.
The good news is that it’s only just November and this isn’t a surprise that the team needs to build chemistry. But once they are able to get things to click out of the pick and roll, then it feels like things will really take off to another level.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
