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An anonymous NBA Western Conference scout took aim at the Los Angeles Lakers’ defense in an attempt to explain their recent decline in play.
According to ESPN Dave McMenaminthe scout said the Lakers “didn’t even try” defensively during a 134-93 loss to the Miami Heat last week, before adding, “The Lakers play without physicality. It’s easy to get transition baskets. It’s easy to score via pick-and-rolls. It is easy to hang and cut for simple baskets. Everything is simple.
The Lakers got off to a good start this season with a 10-4 record, but everything since then has been a struggle as they have dropped seven of their past ten games and three of their past four.
Sunday’s 107-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers not only ended a three-game losing streak for the Lakers, but also marked the first time in 10 games that they didn’t allow at least 100 points.
LA ranks 21st defensively in the NBA, allowing 115.8 points per game. It also allows the fifth-highest percentage of field goals and three-point attempts, at 48.4 percent and 37.2 percent, respectively.
Additionally, Los Angeles ranks 27th in the league with a rebound rate of 40.3 per game, which perhaps speaks to an overall lack of size and physicality.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have led the way for the Lakers this season, and while players like Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht have been solid secondary and tertiary players offensively, they haven’t done enough on defense. .
As things stand now, the Lakers are 13-11 this season, which puts them in eighth place in the Western Conference.
They’re just one game out of fifth place, but they’re also just one game out of twelfth, so a series of wins or losses could change their prospects significantly.
The Lakers have been consistently linked to potential trades in recent years, but they have largely kept the same core together and haven’t made any major moves.
However, if head coach JJ Redick is unable to get more out of the current group defensively, perhaps general manager Rob Pelinka will finally bite the bullet and make a move designed to help on that front.
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