Lakers News: Rival Executives Preview LA's Western Conference Finals Matchup With Nuggets

Can LA pull off yet another upset?

Tomorrow, your Los Angeles Lakers will kick off the opening game of what could be their greatest challenge yet this season: a Western Conference Finals rematch against the Denver Nuggets. 

The two clubs last squared off in this round circa 2020, and LA, then the top seed in the West with a healthier and better LeBron James and a totally different supporting cast around James and Davis, did succeed in five games. A new-look Los Angeles club, now the clear underdog as the seventh seed in its conference, will be facing off against a better, deeper, more experienced Denver team hungry to make its first NBA Finals with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic at the helm.

Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times spoke with front office executive and scouts from rival franchises to take the temperature of how they feel about the impending series.

"I actually think that Denver is a better matchup for the Lakers compared to the previous two they’ve had in Memphis and Golden State," one scout noted. "The Lakers being a bigger and older team — older in a certain sense — struggle with those dynamic, shifty or explosive guards. I actually think they will fare well against everyone else besides Jokic. The Lakers tend to be pretty good when they can hone in on one thing specifically."

"The Nuggets hold an edge in their motivation," the scout continued. "They seem very confident and they have a lot of big bodies to throw at LeBron, as far as [Aaron] Gordon, and they can do some different things. I just think the Lakers may run into some trouble if they’re relying on [Austin] Reaves and Lonnie Walker [IV]. The Lakers need someone else every game."

A second scout predicted a long series, but ultimately gave the Lakers the edge at securing an upset.

"If AD can stay healthy, I think it’s the Lakers in seven. It’s going to be a great series," the scout opined. "Nobody can stop Jokic, but AD probably has the best chance of many in the league to at least affect his game a little bit. ... If you can negate him a little bit then I think you’re starting to rely on other guys, Jamal Murray, who’s really good but maybe not good enough to help win a playoff series in the Western Conference Finals. You’re relying on some guys to do things that you’re just not going to get out of them."

A rival front office executive previewed some matchup options for both clubs.

"Aaron Gordon can guard LeBron to some degree, as much as anyone can. KCP [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] can guard whoever they decide to... put as their No. 1 on the perimeter be it Austin Reaves or D’Angelo Russell, and Michael Porter Jr. has improved defensively; they don’t have to hide him as much, which allows them to put Jamal wherever they really want to conserve some energy," the executive said. "But AD has given them issues and if the Lakers are starting AD at the center does that mean the Nuggets try to let Jokic be the rover? Do they put Jokic on AD directly? I think that’s kind of the big question.

"AD has not had the same success guarding Jokic," the executive continued. "With the Lakers, it’s more how do we stop what has become just this offense rolling downhill at a high level these last few games. How do we limit the amount of transition, limit Jokic’s damage, maybe just turn him into a scorer is something I’ve thought about for them."

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