No 3s, No D: 3 Observations From Lakers Vs. Warriors
By Jacob Rude
1. Byron Scott isn’t fixing the Lakers defensive issues
Mike D’Antoni was fired/released last season because his massive defensive inefficiencies couldn’t be covered up by his offensive abilities. While Byron Scott wasn’t brought in to directly fix that, most assumed he’d be some sort of upgrade.
Sunday’s performance against Golden State offered nothing in the form of confidence in Scott’s abilities as the Warriors did anything and everything they wanted offensively, shooting their way to a 40-point lead and 100 points in three quarters.
The Lakers roster is full of below-average defenders, which is certainly out of Scott’s control. But even players like Ronnie Price, brought in for his defensive abilities, were ineffective on the defensive end.
Lakers fans shouldn’t and aren’t expecting miracles, but if Sunday’s game is any preview to what to expect this year, this season could be even longer than last.