Under new head coach JJ Redick, the Lakers have experienced many highs and lows this season. Without Kyrie Irving or Luka Doncic, the Lakers lost severely to the Mavericks in today’s game, marking another low point. Something seemed off with the Lakers from the first tip-off as they struggled to get going from three.
The Lakers star, LeBron James, analyzed what went wrong for his team in their second consecutive loss after yet another heartbreaking setback. During the post-game media session, James detailed why the Lakers could not establish offensive momentum. He also reflected on the effects of their defensive efforts.
During the post-game interview, LeBron said, “When the ball is popping and the ball is going in, you’re able to play defense with a set defense. If not, they get out and run it or turn the ball over, which we didn’t do too much of that. But offense can help defense as much as the defense can help the offense. It’s just another night for us where we’re not good offensively. We didn’t shoot the ball well, and we missed a lot of shots at the rim, and they countered that.”
James praised the Lakers’ ability to accomplish more, particularly on defense. However, their inability to shoot from the outside constrained that ability. The Lakers often wasted energy attempting to catch up to the Mavericks and slow them down because they had too few missed shots to run a structured offense.
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LeBron James and co. found it challenging to play that recognizable great defense without the ability to make shots. The Lakers players battled immensely and could not come up with a solution as the Mavericks increased their advantage throughout the game due to missed threes and mysteriously missed layups.
Even after D’Angelo Russell was traded for Shake Milton and Dorian Finney-Smith, the rotation remains extremely weak. This is particularly true in the frontcourt, where the Lakers‘ dearth of center depth is most noticeable. The Lakers must, however, stack up on the shooters and use their shooting as a springboard to an outstanding defensive effort if they hope to have the best chance of winning a championship.
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The Lakers still have many opportunities to improve on that end of the court. But if they can rediscover the defensive identity that won them the 2020 championship, they should be able to move up the rankings. The Lakers’ next game is against Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs are scheduled on January 9th after facing the Hornets.
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