“May see them in the playoffs”: LeBron James refuses to spill beans on defending OKC’s near unguardable action

During his podcast “Mind The Game,”LeBron James spoke cautiously about the potential first-round playoff opponent for the LA Lakers, the OKC Thunder, and their nearly impossible-to-defend strategy. James specifically mentioned a particular offensive play where the Thunder effectively utilized Chet Holmgren, a seven-footer, in one of their most intricate plays.

James asserted that he had methods to counteract that, but he refused to divulge the details of what a team should do in response to that action.

“There’s ways to guard it,”LeBron James said (50:00). “But I am not going to say it right now because we may see them in the playoffs. I am not gonna give their coach the opportunity to prepare for it.”

After Holmgren takes the ball out, Shai Gilegous-Alexander dribbles it up the court. As the opposing big focuses on defending SGA, Holmgren moves to the opposite wing, away from his All-Star teammate.

Despite the big being far from Holmgren, the Thunder strategically use one of their guards to set a flare screen, allowing Holmgren to drive to the rim and score over a smaller defender. This maneuver may seem challenging to pull off, making it challenging for the opposing team to defend against Holmgren.

LeBron James and the Lakers Dominate Against the Thunder

Despite the OKC Thunder being a formidable opponent, LeBron James and the LA Lakers have managed to come out on top in most of their matchups this season. In fact, the Lakers won the season series 3-1, bouncing back from their initial loss of 133-110. This was largely due to their dominant size and physicality, which proved to be too much for the Thunder to handle in their three subsequent games.

Despite being similar to other teams, the Lakers possess the necessary players to defend against some of the Thunder’s most commonly utilized strategies. Additionally, LA excelled at containing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, which aided in their ability to defend against OKC’s most effective tactics, such as the one mentioned by James on his podcast.

Despite averaging 27.8 points, Gilegous-Alexander’s performance may not seem subpar, but it still outshines how other teams have defended the MVP candidate. In fact, his average points against the Lakers is just 3 points less than his overall season average of 30.3 ppg. However, his 3-point shooting has been lackluster at only 23.5%, compared to his overall shooting percentage of 36.5% this year. In the previous two games against LA, SGA was held to under 25 points.

Despite his efforts, Holmgren’s performance has remained at 15.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg, shooting at 46% from the field, 22% from beyond the arc, and 57% from the free throw line. However, he continues to struggle against Anthony Davis’ strong physical presence, which has affected his performance against the Lakers.

Despite being the lower seed in a potential playoff series against the OKC Thunder, LeBron James and his team could still be considered the favorites. Currently, the Lakers hold the ninth spot in the Western Conference with a record of 43-33. If they are able to advance through the play-in tournament, they will secure the eighth seed.

Despite the fact that the Thunder hold the third spot with a 52-23 record, they are still in the running for first place. This makes it a feasible scenario for the Lakers and Thunder to potentially face off against each other in the first round.