It has been a rough season to say the least for the Los Angeles Lakers. Injuries have completely torn this team apart while the immediate future of Kobe Bryant hangs in the balance.
Despite the fact that Lakers are bound to miss the playoffs and will be in the running for a high draft pick this summer, the team does occasionally show some signs of life. On Friday night, the Lakers did just that by recording their 20th win of the season over the division rival Sacramento Kings at the Staples Center.
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Although the Lakers will take wins anyway they can get them this season, head coach Mike D’Antoni finally addressed the team’s deficiencies defensively after the win over the Kings according to OC Register’s Bill Oram:
Mike D'Antoni said the Lakers defense is "concerning." Guys out of position, some not in tune and "we're not very good defensively."
— Bill Oram (@bill_oram) March 1, 2014
The Lakers may currently lack star power with Steve Nash and Kobe out with injuries, but the team has been a force to be reckoned with offensively this season putting up more than a 100 points per game this season. Although there appears to be no trouble on offense, the defense has been awful.
Before Friday’s game against the Kings, the Lakers were giving up a near league-worst 106.2 point per game (29th in the NBA). Obviously, that’s not going to get the job done for a team that at the beginning of the season had playoff aspirations.
D’Antoni may have addressed the defensive deficiencies after Friday’s win over the Kings, but it has been without a doubt the team’s biggest problem all season long. Not only has that been a glaring flaw for the Lakers, but Pau Gasol has come out publicly stating the lack of discipline being taught to the players on this team.
Needless to say, if the Lakers plan on turning things around in the near future, it will have to start on the defensive end of the floor.
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