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The LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns will go head-to-head in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs beginning this Sunday. The best-of-seven series is already garnering a lot of buzz, with the defending champions favored to win the matchup despite being the No. 7 seed.
Though the Phoenix Suns are the West’s No. 2 seed with a 51-21 record, oddsmakers have them at a disadvantage in the series. Everyone knows that the Lakers’ inferior 42-30 record is not an accurate depiction of their chances of beating the Suns.
The LA Lakers’ All-Star forward duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed a combined 63 games due to injuries this season. Though the Phoenix Suns won the season series 2-1, they didn’t face the combined might of James and Davis in any of those contests.
So, what do the Phoenix Suns have to do to ensure that they make it to the next round of the playoffs?
5 strategies the Phoenix Suns should try against the LA Lakers in the 2021 NBA Playoffs
5. Free Devin Booker
Devin Booker is one of the best scorers in the league (25.6 points per game this season) and has scored 30 or more points 22 times this season, including a season-high of 45.
Against the LA Lakers, he averaged 21.3 points in their three meetings this season but shot just 22.2 percent from three-point range. While they won two games, it’s difficult to imagine the Phoenix Suns winning this series with Booker averaging less than 25 points a game.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of the best wing defenders in the game, and Booker will have to work hard to get his shots off against him. As gifted a scorer as the Phoenix Suns guard is, coach Monty Williams will have to set up plays to free him from Caldwell-Pope’s shackles.
4. Force Anthony Davis to play outside
One of the keys to containing the LA Lakers is to let Anthony Davis play outside more and keep him off the paint. It’s easier said than done, but the eight-time All-Star already has the tendency to camp outside the paint more than most power forwards. While he has one of the smoothest strokes from the outside for a big man, he’s actually not as accurate from a long distance.
In the first half of the Golden State Warriors game on Wednesday, Davis shot just 2-of-12 from the field, including 0-of-3 from 3-point range. Warriors coach Steve Kerr gambled on letting Davis get open shots from the perimeter, and it worked for half a game.
Davis made a couple of outside shots, albeit crucial ones, but the Warriors eventually allowed him access to the painted area. The Phoenix Suns will have to live with the 28-year-old forward making a few outside shots. However, if they keep him off the paint often, they can win this series.
3. Help out to stifle LeBron James' efforts
LeBron James is the most difficult player for the Phoenix Suns to stop. The four-time MVP will likely be guarded by Mikal Bridges as he’s their best wing defender. However, Bridges doesn’t have the bulk to go toe-to-toe with James when the latter backs down the Suns forward.
It’s tricky to double-team James as he is one of the best passers in basketball and can easily find the open man. Guarding him takes the collective effort of every Phoenix Suns member on the floor. Whenever they decide to double, the rest of the players have to be aware of where the open man is. They should also be ready to rotate immediately and get in the passing lanes (more on this below).
The Suns should get the ball out of James' hands. The more that he doesn’t have the ball, the better it is for the Phoenix Suns because it removes his decision-making ability from the equation.
Above all else, as the Warriors’ Juan Toscano-Anderson discovered on Wednesday when he decided to trash talk the future Hall of Famer, the Phoenix Suns should not poke the bear.
2. Force the LA Lakers into committing (at least) 15 turnovers
The LA Lakers are 29th in the league in turnovers, with 14.7 per game. Against the Golden State Warriors, they coughed up the ball only 11 times, almost four less than their season average. Had the Warriors forced them to commit four additional turnovers, the game would’ve been theirs, and the Phoenix Suns would be facing them instead of the Lakers.
Keeping their hands active and getting into the passing lanes can stifle the LA Lakers into turning the ball over. James has committed the most turnovers in NBA history because he takes a lot of risks when he looks to pass the ball. The same is true for just about every great passer, but the trick for the Phoenix Suns is to maximize those turnovers whenever they occur.
The four-time MVP has a tendency to be careless on multiple possessions when he becomes tentative. Twenty-two times this season, he committed five or more turnovers in a game, and the Lakers’ record was just 13-9.
If the Phoenix Suns are to have a fighting chance, forcing the LA Lakers to turn the ball over often is a must.
1. Battle their size
The LA Lakers are huge. They have Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol to throw at the Phoenix Suns if they want to go big.
It seems like a terrible idea to match them size for size, but in reality, it’s easier to combat their size rather than play small ball with them. The Purple and Gold are a tougher matchup whenever Davis plays the five and James is at the four position.
Last Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors kept the LA Lakers at bay in the first half, with Drummond playing heavy minutes. They had a 13-point lead that was quickly erased due, in large part, to the Lakers' decision to play Davis at center.
This means the Phoenix Suns will have to try and go big-on-big when they face the LA Lakers. Let Deandre Ayton go at it with Drummond and see if they can help him down low to gain an advantage. They’ll also have to keep the Lakers big man off the offensive boards.
Among Drummond’s 13-best scoring games for the LA Lakers (where he had 15 points or more), the team won just four of them. That means they only have a 30.7 percent chance of winning when the two-time All-Star gets his way in the middle. That’s a very telling stat. The Phoenix Suns just have to take the punches when he’s getting his way inside.
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