The Los Angeles Lakers have looked pretty good as of late, but they will be fighting a tough battle on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic is always a terrifying beast to deal with for defense. Now, with the addition of Kyrie Irving, it becomes even harder to defend this team. Ahead of their matchup, Darvin Ham revealed LA's plan to deal with Doncic, per Jovan Buha.
“Darvin Ham said Jarred Vanderbilt will start as the primary defender against Luka Doncic but the Lakers will throw different looks at him,” Buha reported.
Ham also was upfront about how hard it will be for Vanderbilt and the Lakers to defend against Luka Doncic. The coach remarked that Doncic is a tough assignment for any defender, but expressed confident in Vanderbilt's abilities. Still, Ham isn't going to leave his player hanging dry all the time, and will switch assignments when necessary.
“He's a great player, he plays at his own pace… so just not let him be comfortable, when he's comfortable he's a great player,” Ham shared.
"He's a great player, he plays at his own pace… so just not let him be comfortable, when he's comfortable he's a great player." @JVando is ready for the defensive assignment on Luka Sunday. pic.twitter.com/dcXRtoI60c
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 25, 2023
Jarred Vanderbilt was part of the massive haul that the Lakers got during their massive trade deadline shakeup. A standout in Minnesota and Utah, Vanderbilt's biggest asset is his versatility and shooting from the outside. So far, he's doing exactly that for LA. He's been the key defensive player on the perimeter that LA badly needed this year.
The Lakers do need to be careful, though: worrying about Luka Doncic opens up opportunities for Kyrie Irving to start cooking. LA will have their hands full on defense trying to deal with this offensive juggernaut.
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