10/28 Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Keys to the Game

Key #3 – Disrupt Passing

Say what you will about the young and unproven Lakers but with a .500 record heading into Friday’s slate of games at this early point in the season, there’s no denying that among their mistakes and inexperience, they’re getting the job done in more areas than they get credit for. One of those areas has without a doubt been in their effective ball movement.

Los Angeles is currently third in the league in assists per game at 24.3. Their overall assist percentage of 57.1 isn’t quite as impressive as their overall volume, but the fact remains that this Lakers team is largely playing unselfishly and bolstering their offense by moving and sharing the ball. That has started with polarizing rookie Lonzo Ball leading the charge with nine assists per game, but three other Lakers – Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – are all also chipping in a solid three dimes per game apiece.

That in turn has led to balanced scoring for LA as their team boasts seven players that are averaging double figures in points so far on the young season. That is a clear sign that up to this point, their offensive rhythm has been solid and their ability to move the ball and create shots has been on point.

Therefore, in order to come away victorious, the Jazz will need to hinder LA’s offensive rhythm by drastically disrupting their passing game. Stifling the Lakers into tough passes and clogging the passing lanes which will push them out of their comfort zone will be a critical requirement if Utah is to return to a .500 record.

Despite some recent struggles in a number of areas, the Jazz have actually been much improved this season at stealing the ball as they currently rank seventh in the league at nine take-aways per game. Playing against a turnover-prone team such as the Lakers should allow the Jazz to up that number even further, but even if they don’t log a ridiculous number of steals or force several turnovers, the Jazz should at least focus on preventing LA from outsmarting the Utah defense with quick and precise passing.

If the Jazz can cut down LA’s assist numbers which have been such an enormous contributor to their offense thus far, it’s likely that the Lakers will have a hard time getting into the necessary flow that it will take to defeat the Jazz.