Byron Scott is coming into the Los Angeles Lakers organization with an extremely tough task on his hands. Not only must he get this Lakers team into contention in an extremely deep Western Conference, but he has to re-establish the Lakers brand.
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Scott is a no-nonsense coach who focuses on defense extensively. He knows that he needs to establish a defensive identity and that begins in training camp. In an interview with Southern California Public Radio, Scott spoke on what his training camp is like:
They’re tough. A lot of running. A lot of running and a lot of defensive drills. I always believe that if teams are going to beat us, they’re going to beat us because they’re better that night and not because they’re in better shape, not because they’re tougher.
Scott has made it clear that this Lakers team will be tougher and more locked in on defense, something he feels the team lacked last season:
I just didn’t think they had an identity […] I didn’t think they players bought in on the defensive end, everybody was kind of like, ‘This is going to be offense, so I can let my guy go, and if he scores, were going to get a chance to score back on the other end.’ You can’t win championships in this league or in the NFL or in baseball by trying to outscore people on a night-to-night basis.
The Lakers have an uphill battle ahead of them in this tough conference, but focusing on the defense will be the only way this team will have a chance.
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Teams like the Chicago Bulls maintained relevancy through excellent defense despite injury-ravaged rosters. The Lakers may be looking to do the same thing.
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