Nikola Jokic destroyed the Lakers during last year's Western Conference Finals, averaging 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists in a sweep. To nobody's surprise, he's doing it again in a 2024 first-round rematch, putting up 29.5 points, 16.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists to give Denver a 2-0 series lead.
How do the Lakers stop this guy? Head coach Darvin Ham admitted that he didn't have many answers.
"He knows how to kill you in a variety of different ways. You just gotta put constant pressure on him, that doesn't seem to bother him either," Ham told reporters before Game 2.
"It's like sh—. I don't know what to do."
Anthony Davis came into Game 2 loudly proclaiming that he's "the best defensive player in the league." He might be right, and Jokic still dropped 27 points while grabbing 20 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists.
In fairness to Davis, he wasn't guarding Jokic for the entire game. And AD defended him better than others. Here's what has worked and what hasn't when it comes to slowing down the greatest offensive player in the league.
MORE: Anthony Davis reaction to DPOY finalist snub
How the Lakers have defended Nikola Jokic
Anthony Davis on Jokic
Davis has played Jokic pretty well as his primary defender, holding the big man to 6-of-15 shooting in the series per the league's matchup data.
While that sounds good on paper, Jokic also has seven assists to zero turnovers with Davis guarding him. He's removed AD as a rim protector and let his teammates go off instead.
The Jokic-Jamal Murray two-man game has had its best moments in these situations, with Davis needing to stick to Jokic. That has given Murray a clear runway to the basket.
Jokic has also thrown it inside to Aaron Gordon, who has finished easily over smaller Lakers players.
While the AD strategy technically slows Jokic down, it doesn't help the Lakers all that much because Denver will still find other ways to beat Los Angeles.
MORE: LeBron James rips refs, walks out of press conference after Game 2 loss
Rui Hachimura on Jokic
The Lakers started the series with Hachimura as the default matchup on Jokic, allowing Davis to play a roamer role. That hasn't worked well either — Jokic is shooting 11-of-16 in that matchup, with six assists to one turnover.
When help hasn't come quickly, Hachimura has been too small to do much. Jokic has a 54-pound weight advantage, and the combination of strength and finesse has been overwhelming.
Very cool post move. pic.twitter.com/lri4AK2V6y
— Taco Trey Kerby (@treykerby) April 23, 2024
When doubles have come, Jokic is going to find the right pass every time. The Nuggets were well-prepared for this defensive strategy, and they've built in too many counters to make it effective.
Michael Malone w/ excellent play calling once Anthony Davis picked up his 4th foul in the 3Q.
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) April 23, 2024
Once Rui Hachimura had to pick up Nikola Jokić, Nuggets run ram action to get Jokić the ball at the nail, which makes it harder for the Lakers to send a double. Allows him to isolate… pic.twitter.com/MD50iDYGqk
LeBron James on Jokic
This was the Lakers' trump card in last year's series. They couldn't go to it frequently because of how much energy LeBron James had to expend, but it worked the best out of any of their options.
The Lakers have rolled it out for only a handful of possessions in this year's series. James should be able to hold up better than Hachimura in that matchup, slowing down Jokic just enough to allow AD to come and help. In practice, he's forced Jokic into some tough fadeaways that the Joker made look easy.
Despite the lack of success thus far, that coverage is theoretically the team's best and might be Ham's next adjustment. With Los Angeles in desperation mode, it may have to go to it more and ask James to carry an even heavier load over these next few games.
The Lakers' best strategy against Nikola Jokic
Jokic doesn't get enough praise for his conditioning. He certainly doesn't look like a peak athlete, but he plays a ton of minutes and is still extremely sharp at the end of games.
The man is still human, though. The Lakers had a ton of success going at him in pick-and-rolls in the first half of Game 2, building up a 59-44 lead while playing largely through AD.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made an excellent adjustment midway through the third quarter, switching up the matchups to have Jokic guard Hachimura instead of Davis. That had two great effects:
- It slowed down Davis, who had 24 points in the first half and only eight in the second half against a better defender in Gordon.
- It forced the Lakers to play more through Hachimura, who went just 1-of-7 in Game 2.
The Lakers have to keep on making Jokic work defensively throughout the entirety of the game. The Nuggets are going to go back to that matchup, and Hachimura has to make them pay. He will be one of the most important keys to winning Game 3.
