After a disappointing road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Phoenix Suns, presenting a tough challenge despite Phoenix’s recent struggles. Although the Suns boast a potent offense with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, the Lakers’ defense stepped up significantly in their recent matchup.
The Lakers’ defense, which has evolved after acquiring Luka Doncic, dictated the game’s pace against the Suns. They established an early lead, limiting Phoenix to poor shooting in the first quarter. Coach JJ Redick highlighted the team’s physicality and effective defensive rotations as key to their success.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer acknowledged the Lakers’ defensive improvement, noting their enhanced connectivity and commitment on that end of the court. While the Lakers’ offense, led by LeBron James and Luka Doncic, is well-known, it’s their improved defense that has propelled them into contention since the trade deadline.
Statistically, the Lakers were the league’s top defense for a period after acquiring new defensive pieces, excelling in areas like opponent three-point shooting and transition defense. The question now is whether this revamped defense can maintain its effectiveness when the stakes are highest in the playoffs.
Coach Nate McMillan, recognizing the Lakers’ defensive potential even before joining the staff, pointed to the impact of players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent, whose increased availability has boosted the team’s point-of-attack defense. Redick has emphasized an aggressive, disruptive defensive approach for these players.
The addition of Dorian Finney-Smith further solidified the Lakers’ defense. Since his arrival, their defensive efficiency has significantly improved. While acknowledging that replacing Anthony Davis with Luka Doncic inherently changes their defensive profile, the Lakers are strategically adjusting their scheme to minimize defensive liabilities of players like Doncic and Austin Reaves.
A scout noted that even traditionally less defensively focused players on the Lakers are exceeding expectations on that end of the floor. Doncic’s individual isolation defense numbers have also shown improvement within the team’s system.
The Lakers’ defensive strategy sometimes involves conceding three-point shots, which can be risky. While this approach was highly effective for a stretch, opponents have recently exploited it by shooting well from beyond the arc in some losses.
To further bolster their defense, the Lakers signed Trey Jemison III and Jordan Goodwin, both known for their defensive abilities. However, their two-way contracts limit their availability, especially as the playoffs approach, presenting a roster management challenge for the Lakers.
Jordan Goodwin, who impressed the coaching staff, has embraced his role as a defensive tone-setter. The Lakers face a decision regarding converting Goodwin or Jemison to standard contracts to make them playoff-eligible, which would require waiving a current player.
Potential candidates for release include Cam Reddish and Alex Len, although Len was a recent free-agent signing who turned down other offers to join the Lakers. The Lakers’ front office is taking a measured approach to these roster decisions, evaluating all options as the regular season nears its end.
The Lakers face a challenging remaining schedule with games against top offensive teams, providing further tests for their defense. Dorian Finney-Smith believes that if the Lakers maintain a strong defensive focus, limiting opponents to around 100 points, they can compete with any team in the league, especially with the return of LeBron James.
