With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James leading the way, the Los Angeles Lakers have one of the best offenses in the entire NBA capable of putting up points on just about anyone. The defensive side of the ball is a different story, however.
The Lakers have struggled defensively for much of the season as neither of their three stars are lockdown perimeter defenders. Additionally, the Lakers are a pretty slow team and have struggled to keep up when facing young, fast and athletic squads leading to blowout losses that have exposed their defense.
Following their most recent loss to the Spurs, James spoke about what the Lakers need to do in order to improve defensively, and Reaves agreed with his assessment.
“Just have to be better. Like LeBron said, you gotta guard,” Reaves said. “There’s so much talent in this league, you gotta guard everybody with five people. So just have to be better.”
The Lakers don’t have the personnel to keep up with quick guards, especially in their starting lineup, and it is often Reaves himself tasked with chasing around those players. Players such as Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt bring a bit more on that end, but also have offensive shortcomings.
Despite the roster concerns, however, Reaves still believes that this Lakers team can be a good defensive unit and again, re-iterated a point made by LeBron.
“I think there’s a lot of room for growth,” Reaves added. “We’re 27th in opposing 3-point percentage. That’s a weakness we got to be better at. And the spirit’s still high in here. We know we can do it. But we have to be a group that guards with five people. And once again, like Bron said, we got to be on a string and know rotations and just play hard on that end.”
Both LeBron and Reaves are absolutely right in that the Lakers must guard as a team and that requires perfect communication and being on a string with their rotations. It is not an easy task, and the Lakers have shown flashes of being a solid defensive unit in stretches this season. But they will have to do that consistently in order to compete with the NBA’s best.
JJ Redick not concerned with Austin Reaves after second rough game
Defense has been the team issue, but for Austin Reaves individually, he has struggled on offense the last couple of games after performing at an All-Star level throughout the early season. But Lakers head coach JJ Redick isn’t concerned at all with the guard and knows he will bounce back soon.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
