One of the most intriguing first-round playoff matchups pits the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves against the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
As these teams prepare to battle for a spot in the Western Conference semifinals, tension continues to build.
Former player for both franchises, Patrick Beverley, has identified three critical question marks facing the Lakers heading into this series—with one surprisingly focusing on LeBron James.
Beverley’s first concern centers on who will guard Timberwolves’ rising superstar Anthony Edwards.
While Jarred Vanderbilt appears to be the primary candidate, Beverley has serious doubts about this matchup.
“There’s a couple of people. Vando, can he slow down Ant? Can he guard different positions? Can he hit the corner three?” Beverley questioned, highlighting both defensive and offensive concerns for the Lakers forward.
Beverley’s second question mark revolves around Rui Hachimura‘s availability and effectiveness.
The forward struggled with fitness issues throughout the latter part of the regular season, potentially compromising the Lakers’ rotational depth.
“Rui… can he be healthy, can he make shots, can he stay aggressive throughout the whole playoff series?” Beverley wondered.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Beverley identified LeBron James as the Lakers’ third major x-factor.
Drawing from his experience with Minnesota, Beverley believes the Timberwolves will deliberately target the 39-year-old superstar on defense.
“The third one a lot of people won’t understand this one but they have to. It’s LeBron James. I played for Minnesota, I kind of understand their blueprint of going about things. They will try to attack LeBron James every play,” Beverley revealed.
“They will test LeBron James this series, no doubt about it. They gonna put him in a lot of actions, a lot of pick and roll actions, a lot of iso actions. He has to not only him, the Lakers have to find a way to contain the ball.”
Despite these concerns, the Lakers remain among the favorites to make a deep playoff run this year. Under new coach JJ Redick, they’ve shown significant improvement during the regular season.
