Los Angeles Lakers: Who needs defense?

In this early NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers have a record of 3-5, good for 4th place in the Pacific Division and 12th in the Western Conference. In two of the three games they’ve won (Atlanta and Houston), they’ve won by a combined three points. However, in their five losses, they’ve lost by a combined 88 points. That’s an average of 17.6 points. Those are Charlotte Bobcats numbers people. Not only have they lost to the likes of the New Orleans Pelicans, but they haven’t even kept the games close. Here are the first quarter scores during these five losses:

10/30 LAL vs GSW: 16-26

11/1 LAL vs. SAS: 23-16

11/5 LAL vs. DM: 22-35

11/8 LAL vs. NO: 27-28

11/10 LAL vs. MT: 23- 47

In three of these five games, the Lakers are down by double-digits by the end of the first quarter. Only in their match-up with the San Antonio Spurs do the Lakers lead after 12 minutes, eventually losing by six. However, San Antonio is the exception as the Lakers have allowed at least 25 points to those opposing teams in the first quarter, including a mind-blowing 47 against the Timberwolves! Here are the first quarter numbers in the Lakers three wins:

10/29 LAL vs. LAC: 28-30

11/3 LAL vs. ATL: 33-22

11/7 LAL vs. HOU: 36-19

With the exception of the opening night victory against the Clippers, where the Lakers went on an extraordinary run in the fourth quarter that is highly unlikely to repeat itself this season, or ever again for that matter, the Lakers have had huge leads after the first quarter, yet only defeating Atlanta and Houston by a combined three points. What does this mean? Why?

It means that the Lakers need heavy, early leads to have any chance of winning the game. As I mentioned in my previous article, the Lakers are an offense-based team. They’ll jack up threes all day and try to run the other team into the ground. Sometimes, they’ll be virtually unstoppable in the first quarter as a result of this offense, hitting every jumper and getting lucky bounces on their layups. The emphasis is on the phrase “sometimes” and I would even argue “rarely”. These games, Laker fans, are the ones they’re going to win. Coach Mike D’Antoni is famous for his “seven-second offense”, the goal of which is to keep offensive possessions at a maximum of seven seconds and to play as little defense as possible in the hopes of quick outlet passes and fast breaks. D’Antoni ran this successfully during his tenure as head coach of the Phoenix Suns, where he led the team to the brink of the NBA finals, but will not do so here. It’s not that the Lakers have slow players; we’ve seen that they can play fast basketball with the best of them. But if your offense is supposed to be centered around Pau Gasol, a lumbering seven-footer (with another one coming off the bench), with no real foot speed; than running him up and down the court doesn’t seem to be the smartest idea. Steve Nash, the Lakers starting point guard and two-time league MVP who was coached by D’Antoni when they were both on the Suns, knows this offense well. However, Nash, at 39 years old, is basically a fossil by NBA standards and can no longer push the basketball up as effectively as he could three or four years ago.

You cannot hope to win consistently without playing defense consistently. If the Lakers’ shots don’t drop, than what happens? Well, the answer is in their five losses, where they’ve lost by an average of 17.6 points. If they don’t want to keep getting blown out, it’s time to implement a new gameplan and here is what I suggest:

- Don’t force the fast break/shot. The Lakers boast one of the best power forward/centers in the league in Pau Gasol. He is an exceptional shooter, passer, and has an excellent post game. Run a half court set. Get the ball into Gasol and have him create for others, or for himself. The Lakers have shown that they’re better at shooting the three than they were last year. Surround Gasol with Meeks, Blake, and Nash so they can spread the floor and let the big man work. The purple and gold have been settling for contested threes (Nick Young), long twos (Nick Young), and poor drives to the rim (Nick Young). Be patient.

-PLAY DEFENSE. The Lakers have surrendered close to 107 points per game this year, good for the 28th spot in the league in points allowed. I admit the Lakers are hopeless in the backcourt; I doubt Nick Young even understands the concept of defense, let alone expect Nash and Blake to compete with the likes of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. However, with Jordan Hill and Pau Gasol in the frontcourt; there should be some rim protection there. Hill is a walking pogo stick who is an above-average defender and rebounder. Gasol still plays great defense and if given the chance to properly defend, the Lakers might become an average team.

Hollywoods’ finest are no spring chickens; and they have little to no chance of making the playoffs this year. But if Jodie Meeks is your leading scorer, I mean, come on. It’s time to shape up.