The Los Angeles Lakers slumped to a third defeat in a row on Monday night, losing 118-106 to the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center. The Lakers are now losers of seven of their last 10, and while that is concerning, Dorian Finney-Smith stated postgame that the team needed to face adversity.
“We need the adversity, especially being a new team,” Finney-Smith said. “We get to learn a lot about each other during tough times. You usually don’t see things when you’re winning. So we got the chance to grow. We’re going to use this opportunity to grow.”
You do learn a lot more about yourself when things aren’t going well as opposed to when it’s all roses and sunshine. The Lakers had seemed on top of the world when they went 18-3 between January and March. Any and all issues that might have popped up during that stretch would have been brushed aside with all the winning they were doing. Now, though, the team is forced to look within.
The Lakers’ biggest problem over these last 10 games has certainly been the defense. In their first nine games after the All-Star break, they allowed opponents to score over 105 points twice. In the 10 games since, it’s happened nine times.
Finney-Smith had helped greatly improve the Lakers defensively after arriving via trade from the Brooklyn Nets, but hasn’t been quite as impactful lately. He has been dealing with a left ankle issue, and that could be why.
Finney-Smith wasn’t able to slow down either Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero in this loss to the Magic, as they both had 30-point games. The 31-year-old had a solid showing offensively, though, finishing with 14 points (5-7 FG), seven rebounds, and two steals as the Lakers dropped to 43-28.
Dorian Finney-Smith Wants Lakers Players To Hold Each Other Accountable
The Lakers’ recent struggles have led to many wondering if this team is capable of recapturing the magic from earlier in the year. Finney-Smith is confident they can become a dominant defensive unit again, but adds they will have to hold each other accountable.
“For sure. We told on ourselves, we showed we can do it,” Finney-Smith said. “So, it’s up to us. We gotta hold each other accountable and do it. We asking to help each other, sit in gaps, and that required a lot of effort and energy, and we got to put a 48-minute game together.”
This Lakers season will be defined by whether they are able to duplicate that excellence on the defensive end. If they do, you would expect them to go on a deep playoff run, but if they don’t, then a relatively early exit could be on the cards.
Luka Doncic reckons the Lakers just got a bit satisfied after that great stretch and wants the team to lock in again. This bad run could potentially end up being the wake-up call that they needed, and we’ll find that out soon enough.
The Lakers take on the red-hot Indiana Pacers next at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET. The Pacers are winners of five straight and will pose a very difficult challenge for the Lakers’ defense. It will be interesting to see how they deal with the threat.
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