NBA playoff preview: LAL/HOU, DEN/MIN
NO. 4 VS. NO. 5
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
No. 4 seed, 53-29, No. 14 in Net Rating, 22nd in pace, No. 9 in offense and No. 19 defensively.
C: DeAndre Ayton – problem with feeding him constantly – ask Phoenix, ask Portland – is the way he lets frustrations on one end carry over to another. Sure he's getting big looks, but sometimes big looks ain't enough, sometimes big looks create other conflicts. Calls his disagrees with, on either side, or rushed attempts. He'll care more, but remain just as distracted. Does not have an especially illustrious career against Houston, these mitigating influences could be the difference between the Lakers earning a sweep over the Rockets or finishing Houston in five games.
PF: Rui Hachimura – same worries apply to Rui, it's fine and dandy if Los Angeles drags him into every Laker pick and roll, let him take his time in the triple-threat position, whatever he wants on offense. How long until he loses his man? Will he have the legs for fourth quarter jumpers? Lakers in four, or five?
They will start Marcus Smart, however, could I offer an alternative?
F: Jake LaRavia – 50/40/78 when he plays over 30 minutes. It makes sense, it can't be easy coming off the bench on this team. You get five shots a night, three are from 26-feet away and the other two are reverse layup attempts off a no-look feed from a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Jake LaRavia not Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves, but when starting he is Better Jake LaRavia and not Bench Jake LaRavia. Which is, admittedly, is only like jumping from Ben McLemore to Evan Fournier (but hungover).
SG: Luke Kennard – this will be one of the taller opening round matchups I can remember, even without Steven Adams, especially without Fred VanVleet. The Lakers want to load up and let DeAndre Ayton cover the mistakes and I want to watch. Worked 51 minutes against Houston in the regular season took but four threes, making one, three contests. Missed 3-4 twos, too.
F: LeBron James – it isn't his last playoff series, unless his next team really screws up 2026-27, but this is the last playoff series where we didn't think about LeBron James as a novelty, the 40-something playing NBA basketball. Triple-double Robert Parish.
That we consider James a basketball player right now, didn't give the Lakers a chance against Houston without James' injured teammates but at least considered LeBron's critical presence in defeat, is a statement. Long, complicated, statement.
Even if James' superstar teammates hadn't fallen, we'd enter this series considering LeBron's basketball possibilities, not the silliness of a guy his age playing that well.
