The Pacers had one of those nights, too

On the ongoing extremes of the defense

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Not unlike the unpredictable weather in Indiana, which saw snow accumulation during NBA All-Star weekend only for the NFL Combine to be greeted by 70-degree temperatures, if you don't like the defense played by the Pacers, wait a few days -- it'll change. After all, less than a week ago, the Los Angeles Lakers scored 150 points against the Pacers, marking the highest point total for the Purple & Gold since 1987. Five days later, in a reverse effect to the sudden warm up that hit Indy, the Blue & Gold cooled down the Lakers, holding the very same team to a season low of just 90 points. Granted, the lack of hot hands for the Lakers clearly had a hand in the turnaround, as did the reduction in (perception of?) handsy coverage, but there were also some noticeable improvement areas from the Pacers, both in scheme and execution, that account for why there was such a massive swing from one extreme to the other.

Let's take a closer look.

Err on the "side" of (pre)caution

Last Saturday, not that long after Aaron Nesmith picked up his third foul in the second quarter, the Lakers didn't waste much time going to side screening actions, targeting Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton as a defensive duo. Turns out, with Haliburton stepping out to hedge and losing track of his man in recovery at the same time as Siakam was switching, those efforts were warranted -- at least in Los Angeles.

For a number of reasons, the same wasn't exactly the case when the stage shifted to Indy. For one, Nesmith stayed out of foul trouble, which meant he was able to stay on as LeBron's primary defender, including during the fourth quarter. That said, just because he was LeBron's primary defender, doesn't mean he was LeBron's only defender -- and that's a key distinction. To his credit, Nesmith played most of this game like his hair was on fire, even to the point of stopping, dropping, and rolling on a loose ball to maintain possession as the team was building a lead mid-way through the third period. By comparison to Siakam, he jammed the screener, buying time for Haliburton to recover. Then, when LeBron attempted to flow into a hand-off, Nesmith proceeded to play in drop coverage, as opposed to switching, so as to protect Haliburton from giving up the unfavorable mismatch. Just to emphasize, this is a 6-foot-5 wing playing competent drop coverage and absorbing the ball.

That said, he isn't playing that drop coverage 2-on-2, as the Pacers so often did to start the season. Watch Andrew Nembhard. When Austin Reaves turns the corner, Nembhard discreetly scurries across the lane to tag LeBron, staying low and using his body like a lever to avoid getting outjumped while eliminating the potential passing window. From there, with Siakam zoning up and taking first pass on the kick-out, Nembhard traversed sides of the lane again, closing out to the opposite corner.

That wasn't just a one-off, either. A few minutes later, the Lakers went back to that same action, and Siakam likewise flooded over to the strong-side of the floor, casting a shadow to provide support in defending the side-screen action, while also keeping his outside shoulder outside of the potential corner pin-in screen. In turn, as LeBron walks the ball into the post and sees separate waves of help from both Siakam and Haliburton, Nembhard is poised to read the most likely pass, quickly turning defense into offense.

In that regard, while Nesmith was oftentimes responsible for functioning like an oaken door up against a battering ram, the overall coverage also reinforced what he was able to withstand.

Mix and Match

As all of that goes to "show," with Haliburton showing on more picks, it isn't as easy for teams to screen him into mismatches. As such, the alternative has become attacking him on the other side of the pick-and-roll by using his assignment as the ball-handler more often. In Chicago, for example, Alex Caruso, who was defended predominantly by Haliburton, dribbled off 33.8 picks per 100 possessions, compared to 14.3 for the season. In fact, he nearly received more ball-screens in the first quarter of that game (10) than what his total was for the entire prior match-up (12). The Lakers started out similarly, as Austin Reaves notched eight ball-screens in the first quarter, equating to 36.3 per 100 possessions, which is slightly higher than his first-quarter season average (32.6). As the game progressed, however, Haliburton's assignment kept changing, which meant the same strategy of forcing him to chase over (whether with Reaves or whomever he was guarding) wasn't always as easily accessible.

Just look at this possession. Following a timeout from the Lakers, the Pacers deployed Nembhard to play full-court pest regardless of his match-up.

As a result, if the Lakers called a play for Reaves to get downhill with the expectation that Haliburton would be defending at the point of attack, Nesmith ended up playing spoiler with another defensive highlight. That flexibility to mix and match based on role allowed Haliburton to chill out and enjoy the vibes for a possession. Granted, he isn't always going to be able to stand there and do nothing (which he rarely does), but if he already has to be more active to avoid getting screened into plays with a quick show, then there is value in finding ways for him to find rest from those assignments of his that are taking on more usage as ball-handlers.

Strength in numbers (and number of fouls)

Again, Nesmith wasn't the only player making hustle plays, but even when he wasn't directly involved he was still making an impact -- just with his presence. Think of it this way: When Nesmith battled foul trouble in the prior match-up, Siakam had to log defensive possessions against LeBron (oh hey, remember the side screens?) while also dominating the paint and propping up the offense with 36 points.

Here, he isn't even guarding LeBron or Davis and this is how fatigued his defense looked rotating out of double teams by the end of the game.

Additionally, this is what his defense looked like when left to fend for himself against Davis.

As it pertains to the coverage, that's quite a bit different from proactively hovering at or beyond the mid-line at the bottom of the defense while also doubling from the top and scrambling without getting, well, scrambled.

That's a tremendous block from Jalen Smith, but also this is how that same isolation was defended in the prior game -- only from the opposite side of the floor, where Davis ended up driving middle all the way to the rim with his strong hand. Needless to say, there isn't quite the same level or number of obstacles to overcome. So yeah, the Lakers had "one of those nights." They shot 5-of-30 from three and attempted 25 fewer free throws. Still, from coverage tweaks to the progress shown in execution, including late from Siakam, when he wasn't wiped from pouring out everything he had at the other end of the floor, the Pacers had "one of those nights" too -- demonstrating the extreme of which they are capable, as well as those they've oscillated and must eventually reconcile between.