Jake Laravia and the quiet craft of defense: lessons from Marcus Smart become a Lakers habit
DENVER — Jake Laravia stood close enough to the bench to hear the small corrections that don’t show up on a box score: where to plant a foot, when to reach, how to angle a body so a pass becomes a deflection instead of a foul. The lessons came from Marcus Smart, and now—two years later—Jake Laravia says those details have become tangible parts of what he does on the floor for the Lakers.
What did Jake Laravia say he learned from Marcus Smart?
Jake Laravia described Marcus Smart as a “guru on the bench” from his time as a second-year Memphis Grizzlies forward, when he was still trying to gain his footing in the league. Smart, previously voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year two years earlier, had stretches when he wasn’t playing—limited to 25 games because of a foot sprain and a partial tear in his finger—but used that time to talk through the mechanics of defense with his younger teammate.
“(Smart) taught me a lot about my positioning, ” LaRavia said Thursday in Denver. “When he wasn’t playing and I was playing, it was good, because he was just able to kind of teach me more about defensive positioning, hands, deflections, the best time to get steals, stuff like that. ”
In LaRavia’s telling, the instruction wasn’t abstract motivation. It was technique—hands, deflections, timing—built into the repetitive decisions that happen off-ball and in tight windows, when a gamble can give up a layup or spark a run.
How are those lessons showing up with the Lakers now?
The Lakers’ roster for 2025-26 includes a cluster of players with shared Memphis history: Smart, LaRavia, and trade-deadline acquisition Luke Kennard. In that setting, LaRavia’s account of those earlier conversations reads less like a memory and more like a continuing education—one that’s visible in the way the coaching staff frames his role.
Lakers coach JJ Redick pointed to specific defensive traits that match the areas LaRavia says Smart emphasized. On Sunday, Redick praised LaRavia’s ability to disrupt passing lanes and create extra possessions, noting that LaRavia has recorded a steal in each of his last four games.
“We knew that he would be disruptive in terms of steals and deflections, ” Redick said. “He’s been really good in terms of his physicality. And in terms of executing what we want, particularly off-ball, we talk about grabbing and holding all the time. He’s been really physical with that. He’s done, for the vast majority of the season, everything we’ve asked of him in terms of what his responsibilities are. ”
It’s a particular kind of praise: not the headline-grabbing variety, but the kind that defines whether a player stays on the floor in close games. Physicality. Off-ball execution. Doing what is asked. The language describes a role that demands consistency more than flashes—an identity built on the same “positioning” and “best time to get steals” that LaRavia singled out when describing Smart’s guidance.
Why do the Lakers see defense as a run-starter—and what role does Marcus Smart play?
After the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, Redick returned to a theme that helps explain why these defensive details matter. He highlighted how Smart’s tenacity can flip momentum—turning stops into runs and forcing opponents to call timeouts. The night included a defensive stand “spurred by Smart, ” who posted four steals and three blocked shots.
“He has starred in his role for what we need from him consistently throughout the year, ” Redick said of Smart. “He’s, I think, played great basketball for the last five, six weeks, and that starts at the defensive end. ”
Redick also addressed lineup decisions earlier in the season, explaining on Feb. 20—before the team’s first game following the All-Star break—that whether it’s LaRavia or Smart beginning a game in the starting lineup, their defensive profiles can help organize matchups, including who takes a tougher assignment. Over Smart’s last 10 games, he leads the Lakers in steals at 1. 9 per game and ranks second to backup center Jaxson Hayes with a plus-minus of 6. 6.
For LaRavia, watching Smart do it now in a Lakers uniform carries a familiarity that goes beyond admiration. He described Smart’s impact as a steady current that lifts the group: energy every night, hustle plays, diving on the ball, winning 50/50 possessions, and producing steals and stops that teammates “rally behind. ” As the postseason approaches, LaRavia said it isn’t surprising to see Smart providing that spark.
In the end, it is easy to notice a steal; harder to notice the footwork that made it possible. But those are the habits LaRavia says he was taught—how to be early without being reckless, how to defend with hands and angles, and how to turn a coach’s demand for physicality into a repeatable routine.
Image caption (alt text): Jake Laravia listens from the sideline as the Lakers emphasize steals, deflections, and off-ball physicality.
