One of the biggest problems for the Los Angeles Lakers this season has been their defense. Just a few years ago, the Lakers were the best defensive team in the NBA. And today, they are easily one of the poorest performing teams on the defensive end of the court.
LeBron James spoke after the Lakers’ latest loss about their defensive issues. He admitted that a Frank Vogel team should be solid on defense, and the players have not performed to the level that is required, especially on the defensive end of the court. LeBron noted that he and the Lakers would be looking to fix that going forward.
Here's the full quote from LeBron after being asked by @DanWoikeSports about what it's been like seeing the team's defensive identity erode over time this season https://t.co/tPrPsacgmR pic.twitter.com/AUAravsB9k
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) March 4, 2022
“We’re a Frank Vogel team and that obviously starts with defending, starts with the point of attack, starts with the point guard position. Then obviously, this league is a huge pick and roll league, bigs being able to help the guards out, protect the guards, the guards getting back in front of the ball, the bigs getting back to be big on big so we can rebound the ball when shots go up. Obviously, it’s been challenging for us this year defensively. We’ve had a lot of breakdowns and lost a lot of games because our defense has broken. It’s also been because our offense at times, too. Your offense can help your defense. If you’re taking bad shots or you’re turning the ball over or you take a good shot and it’s a long rebound and you’re not getting back, that can affect your defense as well.”
LeBron also spoke about the Lakers losing their 4 games against the Clippers during the press conference, admitting that the Clippers have been the better team this season. In fact, the LA Clippers have a better record than the Lakers and the Nets despite having only Paul George for 26 games and not having Kawhi Leonard at all.
The Lakers really need to fix things quickly. They’re currently 8 games behind the 500 mark and are seriously close to missing out on the playoffs. LeBron James has never missed the playoffs since he became a staple of the post-season in 2006. This factoid could be one of the many motivating factors for him and the Lakers to improve, but that still remains to be seen.
