Wemby is redefining NBA paint defense, while Los Angeles and Denver are facing different issues around their superstars.
With the second NBA Cup in the books, the thrilling five-game Christmas Day slate behind us and the 2025 calendar just days away, it's a perfect time to reflect on the most notable trends that have taken hold throughout the first third of the season.have been extremely pleasant surprises, with each vying to be seen not only as good regular-season stories, but true title contenders.
It's well-understood that plus-minus metrics can be noisy, as they're often influenced by the many players who share the court, but the Lakers' numbers when James plays without is perhaps the most illustrative -- and problematic. It represents a whopping 17-point-per 100 possession reversal from last season. In Monday's loss to the Pistons, for instance, Los Angeles was a plus-17 in the James-Davis minutes, but a minus-18 in the minutes James played without his fellow star.
Nearly that entire margin comes on defense, where opposing teams are scoring 115.8 points per 100 possessions against Los Angeles when James is playing, the second-highest mark among the Lakers' rotation players. But the team gives up just 106.5 points per 100 when James takes breathers, which would be a top-five rate in the league on a team scale.
In the past four games, the Frenchman has compiled 29 blocks, and his total of 95 this season are 31 more than the next-closest player. Equally impressive: He has been whistled for only one goaltending call all season.
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