Darvin Ham, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, was asked about not having a prototypical big to guard guys like Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic during his preseason press conference. Recognizing that the Lakers will have to travel through Denver, Ham remains skeptical of having one large dedicated to guarding one or two guys, and responded as follows:

“If you don’t have those big girthy guys like that, maybe just get one nice-size guy and put a bunch of athletic, strong 6’7″ to 6’9″ players around him to build a fortress.” Guys are going to make numerous efforts, so I think the NBA has shifted out of the stereotypical big, outside of Jokic, Embiid, Nurkic, and a couple more guys, thanks to Golden State.

The way the game is played and defended has changed dramatically over the years. Obviously, Jokic and Embiid and those guys will force you to think about how you’re going to guard them and what you’re going to throw at them. But when you look at people like AD and Giannis and other players in that position, you wonder, “What do we do with that?” We are content with what we have. We have players who can play larger than their size and are already 6’8″, 240, and 6’9″, 250.

I think I prefer the speed, athleticism, and adaptability over just one huge guy, which you only have for one or two players in the league. When that player is not playing, they are not playing. “I prefer it that way.”

This is a good point from Ham, especially since there is no such thing as a “Jokic stopper” in the first place.