Under the guidance of Luke Walton, the Los Angeles Lakers was 13th in the league terms of defensive efficiency last year. This was a pleasant surprise even as the young players of the team stepped up and contributed much in defense.
But, the same thing is not true this year. For the past seven games, the Lakers is eighth of the worst defensive team in the NBA. It allowed an average of 113.2 points for every 100 possessions. This is a six-point difference from what they showed last year.
Offense has been the name of the game at the start of the season with at least 10 teams averaging over 110 points for every 100 possessions. In comparison, only six teams reached this milestone last year. While this may be the reason for the situation of LA, some say the team is simply not playing defense.
The loss of Brook Lopez and Julius Randle has been attributed as one of the reasons for the defensive regression of the Lakers. In addition, miscommunication within the overhauled roster is the biggest contributor to this slide. Head coach Luke Walton hinted this idea through the official Twitter account of the team.
🎥 Luke Walton highlights the areas he wants to see his team improve. pic.twitter.com/sxF4ZfJEyp
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 30, 2018
Walton said, “learning strengths and weaknesses of each other” is part of developing a new team. The Lakers head coach added that aside from becoming better at defense individually, they should understand their weakness and “anticipate being there to help guys out.” Walton also said this only comes with time.
The seven games the team played is not a true barometer on the defensive capability of the team. It is too soon to condemn the defensive inefficiency of the team. Walton is not anxious and believes the defense of the team can reach new heights even though some Laker fans are not quite optimistic with the chances of the team as of the moment.
Walton revealed that they are aiming to “be a top-10 defensive team.” While this may not be within reach for the moment, the team played decent defense in their games against Denver and San Antonio. He also said the first quarter in their game against Minnesota also showed good defense.
Looking at the stats on the games against Denver and San Antonio, the team would be 14th and 13th in defensive efficiency in the league, respectively. The defensive rating of the team against Denver was at 107.5. On the other hand, they had a defensive rating of 106.8 against San Antonio.
But, the Lakers had a defensive rating of 120 during the first quarter of their game against the Timberwolves. In the next three quarters, it improved to 114.3. While these are not top 10 defensive team numbers, it also shows the team can become aggressive in defense as the season goes on.
It is also worth considering that the LA Lakers are the seventh-best scoring team in the league at 113 points for every 100 possessions. This means they may not have to be in the top ten defensive teams in the league to win games. But, they also have to play better defense.
For Lonzo Ball, improving in defense requires each player to “Stay in front of your man.” The players should also have each other’s back.
🎥 Lonzo Ball discusses how the team can regain its rhythm. pic.twitter.com/tHg9S8HZ3b
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 30, 2018
LA guard Josh Hart shared the sentiment of his coach. He said games are won on defense. Focusing on offense and not working on defense will result in a loss. Hart added they have “to be locked in” on defense.
🎥 Josh Hart offers his thoughts on the team’s defense two weeks into the season. pic.twitter.com/7nrePLm3VJ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 30, 2018
This is the mindset the team should have and they should step up the reach its goal of being in the top 10 defensive teams in the league. If they are able to work on this, they may be able to get their acts together and win more games as the season unfolds.
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