A huge reason the Los Angeles Lakers won the title last season was because of their defense. This season, as they aim to repeat, they hope to improve their efforts on that end of the floor.
Unfortunately, one of the offseason’s biggest acquisitions (Montrezl Harrell) is proving to be an issue, as Monday night’s loss against the Blazers so blatantly revealed.
Towards the final stretch of the game, Portland attacked Trez on defense, using his shortcomings to get easy buckets. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor made note of it on Twitter:
The Blazers relentlessly attacked Montrezl Harrell late in the fourth to hold onto their lead over the Lakers.
It didn't go well for Trez… pic.twitter.com/3WoDqS2i36
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) December 29, 2020
Portland's firepower obviously makes them a tough cover for any team. But Montrezl Harrell's defense will be something to monitor all season. He has some exploitable flaws, as we saw. So does Gasol close more games? Will AD play more at the 5 like he did after Harrell got pulled?
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) December 29, 2020
We’re only a few games into this season, so it’s really impossible to judge the defending Champs on what we’re seeing right now.
But if they’re serious about a repeat, they may have to address some of their issues on defense, starting with guys like Trez and young stud Kyle Kuzma. We’ll see soon how the Lakers respond to their latest loss.
