Lakers: What are the Defensive Issues?
By Mike Garcia
Talent Issue
Oct 29, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Wayne Ellington (2) against the Phoenix Suns during the home opener at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
We see Ed Davis and Ronnie Price. Those are the two guys truly capable of solid-to-great defensive play for the Lakers. They are also the substitutes. We can’t really consider anyone in the starting lineup a solid defender.
Kobe Bryant isn’t, and shouldn’t be expected to be the man-defender along the perimeter. He should focus his energy and strengths on the offensive end. The fact that he’s averaging 1.8 steals per game is a product of two things: he’s playing great defense with his hands and he is gambling too much.
Ed Davis is the only consistent shot-blocker for the Lakers. He averages 1.6 blocks per game in just 23.8 minutes per game. That is excellent. What isn’t so great is how foul-prone he is. Ed Davis is prone to fouls. He is slender for the center position. However, he picks up 3.8 fouls in the same 23.8 minutes per game. I’m sure the Lakers would love to start him or have him play extended minutes, but he gets into foul trouble, much too quickly.
Ronnie Price averages 1.4 steals per game in just 21 minutes of play. Not only is that an excellent statistic, he does so without gambling. He does a great job of sticking to his man, hustling back on defense, and trying to block shots.
The Lakers are that desperate for defense. We have a back-up point guard trying to block shots out there.
However, there is more to the issue of defense than the players alone.