Lakers Media Day: 3 Takeaways From Monday’s Interviews
2. The Young Guys are Focusing on Physicality and Defense
When you think of last season’s Lakers’ defense, a few words might immediately pop into your head: Terrible. Awful. Dead Last. Really terrible. What defense?
Well, apparently, you’re not alone because the team’s young core seems universally focused on improving in that field. Jordan Clarkson, one of the most egregious offenders of last season’s defensive stench, repeatedly stressed the important of improvement in that area during his interview on Time Warner Cable Sportsnet:
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"I think I’m right there, we were all pretty terrible defensively last year. I sucked defensively last year, no lie. The proof is in the numbers. It’s in your chest and in your stomach, I worked a lot on it this summer."
Russell, too, emphasized the need to improve on that end of the floor, citing a conversation he had with Randle.
While they certainly have a mountain to climb in order atone for last season’s defensive impotence, its encouraging to see the team’s young talent intent on sharpening their skills.
With the addition of Ingram on the perimeter and Mozgov down low, this year’s squad is well equipped to show marked improvement in that area.