The “connection” of Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia creates balance for LA lineups

LOS ANGELES – From Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimura is ruled out due to injury, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia took their place in the starting lineup for Los Angeles Lakersfor now. The The Lakers are 1-1 in their last two games with the duo running with the starters, and during the team’s 128-121 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, the defense and energy they brought was evident.

After the Lakers’ win, Marcus Smart admitted that he got used to playing with Jake LaRavia during their time with the Grizzlies, and that has carried over to this season.

“It’s huge … me and Jake coming together from Memphis, we have that relationship that we built there and to bring it here. He doesn’t get a lot of credit for his defense, but he’s a really good defender,” Smart said. “And we just have to keep feeding his confidence in that direction, because we’re definitely going to need it.”

This season, Smart and LaRavia lead the Lakers in the turns at 3.1 per game, according to Lou Murray of the Athletics. That’s 26 more departures than the next player on the list. It’s a common sight to see both players holding hands in passing lanes, jumping the floor for loose balls and generally disrupting the opposing team’s offense.

During their Lakers’ recent win against the Grizzlies, it was Smart and LaRavia who helped the team get off to a good start defensively. And while the Grizzlies eventually got back into the game, the same duo continued to make big defensive plays throughout the game.

For LaRavia, that energy and effort should come right after the opening tip.

“That’s the role me and Marcus bring to this team. Just that defensive effort, that defensive intensity, the physicality,” LaRavia said after Friday’s game. “When we’re in the starting lineup, it starts from the rebound. So we have to do it from the first shot.”

Smart and LaRavia signed last offseason. LaRavia was an unrestricted free agent, while Smart became a free agent after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards. Among the players with a standard contract list, LaRavia is fifth in the team in a 117.1 defensive rating, according to StatMuse. Smart is seventh with 118.1.

Making all the little plays and giving maximum effort defensively is something LaRavia has always prided himself on. He may not always get many touches on the offensive end, but that doesn’t dictate his defensive effort.

“I’ve always played like that, played hard. I’ve always played hard,” LaRavia said. “So I just go into every game knowing that I have to change the game defensively and help us win extra possessions, jump on turnovers and just make winning plays.”

The Lakers clearly lack the offensive production that Reaves and Hachimura bring to the starting lineup, but Smart and LaRavia have replaced that with defensive production for now. It helped create some balance when playing alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

“We have talented talent offensively, so we, defensively, have to do some things to balance that out for us,” Smart said. “And that starts with us going out there and bringing that energy when we’re there.”