2020 Lakers vs. 2025 Lakers

[durantbird]

2025 Lakers Depth Chart:

Starters:

PG: Luka Dončić

SG: Austin Reaves

SF: LeBron James

PF: Dorian Finney-Smith

C: Mark Williams


Key Bench Players:

PG: Gabe Vincent

SG: Shake Milton

SF: Rui Hachimura

PF: Jarred Vanderbilt

C: Jaxson Hayes

---

2020 Lakers Depth Chart

Starters:

PG: LeBron James

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SF: Danny Green

PF: Anthony Davis

C: Dwight Howard


Key Bench Players:

PG: Rajon Rondo

SG: Alex Caruso

SF: Kyle Kuzma

PF: Markieff Morris

C: JaVale McGee

---

With the Lakers' blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić, they now have one of the most dominant offensive duos in the league. But how do they stack up against the 2020 championship team that dominated the bubble?

The 2020 team had dominant defense with AD and elite role players like KCP, Caruso, Green and Rondo stepping up in key moments.

The 2025 team has insane offensive firepower with Luka and LeBron, but lacks an elite big like AD.


Which version of the Lakers is better? Assume everyone are healthy

Does Luka-LeBron overpower the defensive dominance of AD and the 2020 squad?

[homecourtloss]

2020 Lakers are one of the most dominant teams of the past 25 years when accounting for garbage time. They had a really high floor with a highly replicable offense on a night to night basis since they did not rely on the three-pointers at all relative to the league, a very good defense, and an extremely high ceiling when three-pointers were falling.

Lakers played with a massive 3P deficit compared to everyone else WHILE playing in a sterile gym environment when three point deficiency should have been a massive detriment.



Every single champion since 2010 has been top 6 in either three point attempt rate or percentage except for the 2012 Heat and 2020 Lakers, two teams that are close to being technical outliers.

In a sterile gym environment while playing at a three point disadvantage, the Lakers were dominant.
In a sterile environment that before the bubble was considered a disadvantage, and our teams would be 50-50, the Lakers utterly dominated.

2020 Lakers’ Playoffs leads
Game 2 vs. Blazers: +33, 7:58 left
Game 4 vs. Blazers, +38, 8:38 left in 3rd quarter Game 4 vs. Rockets, +23, 7:21 left
Game 5 vs. Rockets, +29, 4:33 left
Game 1 vs. Nuggets, +27, 5:03 left
Game 1 vs. Heat, +30, 4:25 left in 3rd; +24, 6:08 left in the game
Game 6 vs. Heat, +36, 3:29 left in 3rd; +22, 2:05 left in the game

LeBron + AD in the 2020 playoffs: +19.8 sans 4th quarters, +17.4 sans 27 minutes of garbage time.

One of the things about that Lakers team was how high their peak level was, sneakilyone of the highest there has ever been, because they were not built to hunt three-point shots, nor make them at a highly efficient rate in an era of three-point shooting, but they were able to excel in almost all other aspects of the game other than turnover economy, so when the 2020 Lakers hit a league average amount of three-pointers at the league average three point percentage in a game, they only lost two games all season before the end of the season and game five versus the heat in the NBA finals which they probably should’ve won anyway. When they got hot in the playoffs they were murdering teams.

One of the reasons they were such a great road team was because their core game of rim pressure, shots at the rim, defense, rebounding, generating turnovers, etc., was highly, highly replicable, and when they DID get hot from outside, they were pretty much invincible.

[durantbird]

2020 Lakers are one of the most dominant teams of the past 25 years when taking garbage time. They had a really high floor with a highly replicable offense on a night to night basis since they did not rely on the three-pointers at all relative to the league, a very good defense, and an extremely high ceiling when three-pointers were falling.

Lakers played with a massive 3P deficit compared to everyone else WHILE playing in a sterile gym environment when three point deficiency should have been a massive detriment.



Every single champion since 2010 has been top 6 in either three point attempt rate or percentage except for the 2012 Heat and 2020 Lakers, two teams that are close to being technical outliers.

In a sterile gym environment while playing at a three point disadvantage, the Lakers were dominant.
In a sterile environment that before the bubble was considered a disadvantage, and our teams would be 50-50, the Lakers utterly dominated.

2020 Lakers’ Playoffs leads
Game 2 vs. Blazers: +33, 7:58 left
Game 4 vs. Blazers, +38, 8:38 left in 3rd quarter Game 4 vs. Rockets, +23, 7:21 left
Game 5 vs. Rockets, +29, 4:33 left
Game 1 vs. Nuggets, +27, 5:03 left
Game 1 vs. Heat, +30, 4:25 left in 3rd; +24, 6:08 left in the game
Game 6 vs. Heat, +36, 3:29 left in 3rd; +22, 2:05 left in the game

LeBron + AD in the 2020 playoffs: +19.8 sans 4th quarters, +17.4 sans 27 minutes of garbage time.

One of the things about that Lakers team was how high their peak level was, sneakilyone of the highest there has ever been, because they were not built to hunt three-point shots, nor make them at a highly efficient rate in an era of three-point shooting, but they were able to excel in almost all other aspects of the game other than turnover economy, so when the 2020 Lakers hit a league average amount of three-pointers at the league average three point percentage in a game, they only lost two games all season before the end of the season and game five versus the heat in the NBA finals which they probably should’ve won anyway. When they got hot in the playoffs they were murdering teams.

One of the reasons they were such a great road team was because their core game of rim pressure, shots at the rim, defense, rebounding, generating turnovers, etc., was highly, highly replicable, and when they DID get hot from outside, they were pretty much invincible.

Interesting evaluation. You didn't compare them to the potential of 2025 version though

[Fadeaway_J]

2025 Lakers Depth Chart:

Starters:

PG: Luka Dončić

SG: Austin Reaves

SF: LeBron James

PF: Dorian Finney-Smith

C: Mark Williams


Key Bench Players:

PG: Gabe Vincent

SG: Shake Milton

SF: Rui Hachimura

PF: Jarred Vanderbilt

C: Jaxson Hayes

---

2020 Lakers Depth Chart

Starters:

PG: LeBron James

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SF: Danny Green

PF: Anthony Davis

C: Dwight Howard


Key Bench Players:

PG: Rajon Rondo

SG: Alex Caruso

SF: Kyle Kuzma

PF: Markieff Morris

C: JaVale McGee

---

With the Lakers' blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić, they now have one of the most dominant offensive duos in the league. But how do they stack up against the 2020 championship team that dominated the bubble?

The 2020 team had dominant defense with AD and elite role players like KCP, Caruso, Green and Rondo stepping up in key moments.

The 2025 team has insane offensive firepower with Luka and LeBron, but lacks an elite big like AD.


Which version of the Lakers is better? Assume everyone are healthy

Does Luka-LeBron overpower the defensive dominance of AD and the 2020 squad?

McGee was the starter in 2020, not Dwight.

I think the defensive gap in favour of 2020 is too much here, especially given the available versions of LeBron and AD.

[durantbird]

McGee was the starter in 2020, not Dwight.

I think the defensive gap in favour of 2020 is too much here, especially given the available versions of LeBron and AD.

In the playoff, McGee started four more games than Howard, but played six less minutes per game. Overall I'd say they were pretty equal. McGee was also injured in the finals and Howard was the starter which kind of influences this statistic but also meaningful towards Howard

[rk2023]

2020, decently better depth and defense / more identity in place for that reason

[tsherkin]

Hard to envision an argument for the current squad, to be honest. Much worse on D. Luka's going to be very good for their O, but they're going to have large issues on defense when he and Lebron play together and they still have nothing exciting up the middle.

[LukaTheGOAT]

The 2025 Lakers' defense is highly suspect.

Not a chance they are stopping the 2020 Lakers. The 2020 Lakers arguably are the best playoff defense in the league with arguably the best defensive player.

You also have a materially younger Lebron in 2020, who many consider as the best in the league.

[EmpireFalls]

Sorry, utterly hilarious comparison.

[Tracymcgoaty]

4-1 gentlemen sweep over 2025.

2020 was dominant on defense and had Lebron/AD looking like split 1A's They kill this 2025 team.

[durantbird]

Okay, without Mark Williams I really have little belief in Lakers 25'

[homecourtloss]

2020 Lakers are one of the most dominant teams of the past 25 years when taking garbage time. They had a really high floor with a highly replicable offense on a night to night basis since they did not rely on the three-pointers at all relative to the league, a very good defense, and an extremely high ceiling when three-pointers were falling.

Lakers played with a massive 3P deficit compared to everyone else WHILE playing in a sterile gym environment when three point deficiency should have been a massive detriment.



Every single champion since 2010 has been top 6 in either three point attempt rate or percentage except for the 2012 Heat and 2020 Lakers, two teams that are close to being technical outliers.

In a sterile gym environment while playing at a three point disadvantage, the Lakers were dominant.
In a sterile environment that before the bubble was considered a disadvantage, and our teams would be 50-50, the Lakers utterly dominated.

2020 Lakers’ Playoffs leads
Game 2 vs. Blazers: +33, 7:58 left
Game 4 vs. Blazers, +38, 8:38 left in 3rd quarter Game 4 vs. Rockets, +23, 7:21 left
Game 5 vs. Rockets, +29, 4:33 left
Game 1 vs. Nuggets, +27, 5:03 left
Game 1 vs. Heat, +30, 4:25 left in 3rd; +24, 6:08 left in the game
Game 6 vs. Heat, +36, 3:29 left in 3rd; +22, 2:05 left in the game

LeBron + AD in the 2020 playoffs: +19.8 sans 4th quarters, +17.4 sans 27 minutes of garbage time.

One of the things about that Lakers team was how high their peak level was, sneakilyone of the highest there has ever been, because they were not built to hunt three-point shots, nor make them at a highly efficient rate in an era of three-point shooting, but they were able to excel in almost all other aspects of the game other than turnover economy, so when the 2020 Lakers hit a league average amount of three-pointers at the league average three point percentage in a game, they only lost two games all season before the end of the season and game five versus the heat in the NBA finals which they probably should’ve won anyway. When they got hot in the playoffs they were murdering teams.

One of the reasons they were such a great road team was because their core game of rim pressure, shots at the rim, defense, rebounding, generating turnovers, etc., was highly, highly replicable, and when they DID get hot from outside, they were pretty much invincible.

Interesting evaluation. You didn't compare them to the potential of 2025 version though

Very few teams have ever dominated the way that 2030 Lakers team did, so there is no real comparison as there’s a .1% chance this team has the same type of playoffs run.

[SK21209]

Can we see Luka play one game first lol