Paul George says Lakers are going to be ‘nightmare’ to face: ‘Thank God the Mark Williams s—t didn’t go through’

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The Los Angeles Lakers shook up the dynamic of their team in a major way ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. In a move that left plenty of NBA fans in shock, Los Angeles parted ways with star big man Anthony Davis, guard Max Christie and other assets and received a package highlighted by star guard Luka Doncic.

Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George thinks the Lakers are going to be a tricky team to face now that Doncic and star forward LeBron James are teammates. He also hinted that Los Angeles would have been even scarier if the team’s trade for center Mark Williams had gone through.

“I think it’s gonna work on the simple fact that both of those two are high-level IQ players,” George said of the James-Doncic pairing. “They understand spacing. They understand pick and roll. They see plays two, three plays ahead. They know how to manipulate the defense. They’re both obviously great with the basketball in their hands.

“I think that’s an area Luka can probably be better at is playing with the ball out of his hands, so that’ll be an adjustment I think for him as well as probably LeBron, you know? LeBron is a basketball-dominant player. Obviously, he can play off the ball as well. And I think that was the reason Luka was brought over so that Bron can be off the ball a little bit more and not have to make all the plays.”

George continued, indicating that opposing teams are going to have to pick their poison when facing the Lakers.

“But I think it’s gonna work, man,” he said. “I think it’s definitely a pick-your-poison type of situation, and it’s gonna be tough, right, because both of those guys can set up the defense. You gotta watch out for both of those guys with their playmaking and their IQ. When they get into their pick and rolls, obviously your two best defenders are gonna be guarding Bron and Luka. You gotta switch that. And then now Bron is so big, so strong, it’s gonna be hard to get underneath that screen, which is gonna cause confusion.

“It’s gonna cause — whether the defender is switching out, guarding Luka or the defender is switching out, guarding Bron — it’s gonna be some chain effect because of the size that both of these guys got. They’re 6’8,” 6’9.” They can look over and see over the defense. And then I’m sure J.J. [Redick] is gonna have shooters in both corners.

“And then you got — what Luka is so great with playing is athletic 5s, right? That’s what unlocks his game and his potential and his ability to get downhill and put pressure at the rim is having an aerial 5-man that could take the lid off the roof. So, it’s gonna be definitely dynamic with Jaxson Hayes there at the center position. God, thank God the Mark Williams s— didn’t go through. I actually like Dalton Knecht. I think he’s definitely a weapon. Austin Reaves is definitely a weapon. Good luck in the West. It’s gonna be a nightmare when you play the Lakers.”

The Doncic and James experiment in Los Angeles is still very much in its fledgling stages at this point in time. The Slovenian has played just two games in a Lakers uniform since the Dallas Mavericks traded him earlier on in the month, and he has still been in the process of getting his footing.

He has averaged 15.0 points per game on 40.7 percent shooting from the field and 26.7 percent shooting from 3-point range with the storied franchise so far. In the Lakers’ final game prior to the All-Star break, he mustered 16 points in an ugly loss to the Utah Jazz.

But Doncic can make up for his quiet play prior to the break when the Lakers play their first game in a week on Wednesday night. Los Angeles will take on the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena, and that’s a contest the Lakers should be able to win.

The Hornets have a record of just 13-39 on the season after all, and the team has come up short in all but one of its past 10 contests. The Washington Wizards are also the only squad in the Eastern Conference with an inferior record.

A win for the Lakers on Wednesday would improve their record to 33-20. Los Angeles is less than one game back of the Houston Rockets for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference standings and is three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the conference’s No. 2 seed.