After falling apart in the third quarter and losing to the Magic on the road, the Lakers acknowledged their recent defensive shortcomings.
When the Lakers traded their best defensive player, Anthony Davis, for offensive superstar Luka Dončić, there was a concern that the team’s defense would suffer.
However, the Lakers were a great defensive team immediately following the trade.
During the first month of the Dončić era, L.A. had a 106.9 defensive rating, leading the NBA. They also won ten of their first twelve games after making the blockbuster deal.
Fast forward to March, and the defense has suddenly become a problem.
The Lakers have a defensive rating of 117.1 on the month, placing them in the middle of the pack in the league, and have now lost seven of their last 10 games.
After the Lakers’ most recent defeat against the Magic, where the defense fell apart in the second half, Luka discussed how keeping the defensive communication, energy and focus up is a responsibility that falls on his and LeBron James’ shoulders.
“I think me and Bron, think we should be the guys to do that,” Luka said. That’s on me. Obviously, I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to talk more. I talked in the first half, then just kind of [let my] voice down and I shouldn’t do that.”
With Luka and LeBron being the clear leaders on this team, they must stay in constant communication. Their actions are contagious and set the standard for what the Lakers will do on a nightly basis.
During the opening quarter, communication and defensive execution seemed to be there. Orlando only scored 26 points in the first period, and L.A. was ahead by two points at halftime.
However, as the Magic gained momentum, the Lakers could not respond, leading to their third straight loss.
“I thought we started off the game tonight with a lot of communication and then when they go on a little bit of a run, I think we kind of get quiet a little bit and we can’t do that,” Austin Reaves said. “You got to continue to figure things out through the flow of the game and not just talk when things are going good.”
Communication on defense is always key. Players need to call out for rebounds, talk on switches, and tell their teammates what responsibilities they are covering on the floor.
This is especially true for the Lakers, a team that has undergone many changes due to trades and plays a switch-heavy defensive scheme.
Perhaps the Lakers grew tired as the game progressed, causing them to dip defensively, but regardless, L.A.’s defensive communication needs to be better for the rest of this road trip and the remaining games of the season.
The good news is they know they can play at a high level with this roster because they did it just a month ago.
Now, they need to show some fight, speak up on defense, and, as Reaves said, keep that level of communication high even when the opposing team is going on a run or taking over the game.
We’ve seen this team be great and awful on defense, and it’s up to them to show us which version is the truth with the 11 games they have left in this season.
