In the 2023 Western Conference Finals series, Nikola Jokic destroyed the Los Angeles Lakers with averages of 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists, helping the Denver Nuggets to a 4-0 victory. In round 1 of the 2024 NBA Playoff, the Serbian superstar continued to average 29.5 points, 16.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists after 2 matches.

Preventing Nikola Jokic becomes a mandatory problem for the Los Angeles Lakers if they want to win against their opponents. However, coach Darvin Ham himself still does not have a really clear answer to the problems his team faces.

“Nikola Jokic can punish you in many different ways. Even if you constantly put pressure, Jokic doesn’t seem to care. I don’t know what to do anymore” – Darvin Ham shared first Game 2.

Before the match, Anthony Davis affirmed that he was the best defensive player in the tournament. And he was partly right when Joker only scored 27 points. However, is AD the best way to stop Jokic?

What did the Los Angeles Lakers do to stop Nikola Jokic?

Anthony Davis defends Nikola Jokic

According to NBA statistics, Anthony Davis brings certain effectiveness when defending Nikola Jokic. The Serbian superstar only has a finishing performance of 6/15 in situations when accompanied by Anthony Davis.

However, don’t forget that Nikola Jokic is not only good at scoring points. On the other hand, Jokic had 7 assists and 0 turnovers when facing Anthony Davis. This also means that Jokic does not necessarily have to face Davis, but he uses his vision, movement, and impressive passing ability to create and support his teammates.

In the situation below, Anthony Davis paid too much attention to Jokic after a wall build-up by the Denver Nuggets, giving Jamal Murray too much space to break into the basket.

Not only that, there were many situations where Jokic passed the ball smoothly to Aaron Gordon, who has a more impressive physique than other Lakers players in the basketball area.

The solution of having Anthony Davis as the primary defender against Nikola Jokic may limit this player’s scoring ability, but the Denver Nuggets have too many different solutions to attack throughout the game.

SEE MORE: Does Anthony Davis deserve to be in the Top 3 nominations for Best Defensive Player of the NBA 2023/24?

Rui Hachimura defends Nikola Jokic

The Los Angeles Lakers could play Rui Hachimura as Nikola Jokic’s defenseman, with Anthony Davis playing a coverage role and supporting behind him when needed. This strategy helps Anthony Davis control the basket better and provide help to other positions if the Denver Nuggets attack the basket.

However, Nikola Jokic had a performance of 11/16, 6 assists in the whole match, accompanied by Rui Hachimura. The Japanese player is fierce and annoyingly clingy, but he has a disadvantage in both height and body shape with Nikola Jokic, not to mention the Serbian star’s ability to move flexibly.

Even when caught in a 1vs2 situation, Nikola Jokic can still create appropriate passes for his teammates. It can be said that the Denver Nuggets have carefully prepared for any option that the Los Angeles Lakers come up with.

LeBron James defends Nikola Jokic

LeBron James’ thinking and defensive ability bring incredible effectiveness when facing Nikola Jokic. However, this is not the optimal solution, because the 39-year-old star needs to maintain strength for the offensive front.

This is also the reason why LeBron James rarely accompanied Nikola Jokic in this year’s series. However, if the Lakers’ satellite players play effectively offensively, the audience can see more situations where LeBron James accompanies the Serbian star in the next matches.

What is the solution for the Los Angeles Lakers?

The above options are still only theoretically correct. The Denver Nuggets have too many exercises based on Jokic’s versatility and the good attack power of the remaining players. The Nuggets can even run cards to change people to accompany Jokic, bringing advantages in 1vs1 situations.

Not to mention, the Los Angeles Lakers will definitely not let Anthony Davis and LeBron James become the main tutors for Nikola Jokic, because then their offensive ability will be severely affected. Stopping Jokic is completely impossible, so the best solution is still to limit the Serbian superstar, while still having to preserve the strength of the two pillars when necessary.

Therefore, letting Rui Hachimura accompany Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis as rear support should still be used regularly. The downside of this option is that the Lakers have to leave Rui Hachimura on the court as long as possible. The Japanese star needs to immediately improve his poor performance of 1/7 in Game 2, because once on the field, he must contribute more scoring ability to relieve the necessary pressure on the duo. LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

And if Rui Hachimura throws poorly, the Lakers will have difficulty chasing points when necessary. Or if you take Hachimura off the field and replace him with a player who can attack, the problem of limiting Nikola Jokic becomes more difficult to solve than ever.

SEE MORE: Latest NBA Playoff 2024 schedule: Results updated continuously