After being thrashed 127-100 by the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center, the Los Angeles Lakers have now dropped three straight games. During his postgame news conference, head coach JJ Redick was asked why he believes the Lakers’ defensive struggles during this losing streak are the cause of their struggles.
“I would say, if you think about being disruptive, I think it starts there,” Redick stated. We don’t always have a lot of people that can go and pick up full court, so some of it is personnel-based. However, teams are attempting to interfere with our work, just as we are attempting to interfere with the work of other teams.
“And whether that’s with screening action, or DHOs, whatever it may be, I think we can be better there,” Redick said. We can execute the game plan more effectively, but when facing a squad like this or a guy like Nikola Jokic, you can gameplan all you want, but sometimes great players will be great. Jokic was excellent the other night, and all three of their men were excellent tonight.
Players that are adept at taking up full-court are definitely lacking on the Lakers, who are now 10-7 on the season and 2-1 in the NBA Cup. Their defensive rating of 118.2, which places them 27th in the NBA, is largely due to their lack of good perimeter defenders.
An additional issue has been effort. Fans criticized Jaxson Hayes for one sequence in this game against the Suns, and the Lakers might be accused of being a little lackadaisical at times.
Hayes and other role players are not the only ones who have been called out. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves didn’t appear too interested in running back on defense following a turnover during the Lakers’ 127-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
That is insufficient. I disagree with Redick’s statement at his press conference that the Lakers had played good transition defense. Only the Utah Jazz give up more fastbreak points than their opponents, who are averaging 19.2 per game, the second-highest in the league. That’s really not encouraging.
The Lakers need to add some stronger defenders if they want to prevent another poor season, but I don’t think they need to completely overhaul their team. They need better defenders, but Jarred Vanderbilt’s return will undoubtedly help that defense.
JJ Redick may alter the starting lineup for the Lakers.
In his comparatively little time as the Lakers’ head coach, Redick has made a few adjustments to the starting lineup, and another one may be on the horizon. When questioned during his press conference about Dalton Knecht’s decreased output following his return to the bench, the 40-year-old would not rule out the rookie making a comeback to the starting lineup.
“I think he’s had some good opportunities, and perhaps there’s something to be said about the rhythm and flow he might find as a starter,” Redick said. “As I mentioned the other day, everything is always open for discussion during our coaches’ meetings, so we’ll evaluate all options.”
Following Rui Hachimura’s ankle injury, Knecht started four games and averaged 23.8 points per game. He was maybe the Lakers’ biggest bright spot during that run, but he had to give up his starting position after Hachimura’s return, and he hasn’t had much of an influence since.
In his last two games, Knecht has averaged 8.0 points per game; if his output doesn’t improve over time, Redick may need to think about starting him again. However, I don’t believe he will make a change for their upcoming game on Wednesday at 8:30 PM ET at Frost Bank Center against the San Antonio Spurs.
