Los Angeles Lakers: Defense Has Contributed To Wins

The dedication the Los Angeles Lakers have demonstrated on the defensive end has become identifiable through ten games. The best part is that their efforts have led to some wins.

The .500 winning percentage the Los Angeles Lakers currently occupy certainly showcases that the team is headed in the right direction. While there is a lot of work left to be done, the Lakers are doing better than some thought possible.

What is curious is how they have gotten to where they reside at. Granted that critics originally argued that Los Angeles’ offense was going to fuel them this season, the opposite has been true thus far.

Indeed, as inconceivable as it sounds, defense has accounted for their success. By no means is said defense a polished product, yet it has kept them in many games.

Many largely relied on the likes of playmaker Lonzo Ball to shift the franchise’s fortunes around. Although Lonzo has not been completely underwhelming, he has not always lived up to the high expectations placed on him.

While other hopes were placed on the table, few saw this kind of effort coming from the defense. Many screws have been tightened and players like Julius Randle have been linked to this improvement. This example is crucial to take into account because Randle has been criticized a lot in the past about his inconsistencies on this end of the floor.

It is every bit as important to consider that 72 games are up for grabs. The offense at some point has to pick up the slack (namely from behind the arc). However, head coach Luke Walton spun an entirely different yarn to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report last week.

"“Defense is what wins championships. Until we get good at that, that’s the most important thing that we’re going to continue to focus on,” Walton said Monday after practice."

Despite this being a statement many have heard before, the results of late validate Walton’s remarks. Notwithstanding the relatively shaky offense, the defense has kept games interesting at the bare minimum.

At many points over the last few years the defensive part has gone under that “shaky” category. It is the primary reason as to why the Lakers have been in the cellar of the Western Conference for several consecutive years.

A measly ten games is not a good enough indicator to gauge the true identity of this Lakers team. In spite of that truth, they are gradually proving to be a tough out for this reason.

Given that the Lakers are young all in all, it is encouraging that things are clicking the way they are. Simply seeing so many different faces beginning to grasp what it means to play secondary defense, for instance, only tells part of the story.

Defense requires intentional, deliberate effort and Walton discussed more on this recently, per Pincus.

"“I think as a group we’re starting to understand what type of energy we have to play with on that end and how hard it is to be a good defensive team,” Walton said. “They’re starting to understand, and they’re starting to embrace it.”"

Hearing these words is a breath of fresh air for Lakers fans. Over the last few campaigns, words like these have rarely been said by anyone within the organization. Thus, one can only hope that these defensive strides continue to be taken.

The positive thing with defense is that it frequently leads to offense. Therefore, continued effort on defense should start to change the pace for L.A. on offense sooner or later.

Once the defensive element becomes even more natural, it will only make scoring points a quicker, easier process. Because the purple-and-gold want to play at a quick rate, executing the former will create a domino effect in the wins department.

This domino effect has been visible of late, hence the three wins in their last four chances. It is not the biggest sample size to analyze, but shows progress nonetheless.

The progress has not gone unnoticed by Walton. Via Drew Garrison of SB Nation, the Lakers’ head honcho admitted he did not think the Lakers would be doing this well quite yet.

"“The fact that every night we’re finding ways to compete, and bringing the energy level, and defending, 10 games in I wouldn’t have thought honestly we were ready to start doing that. It’s nice that we seem to be able to carry that on a little bit,” Walton said."

The beautiful thing about the defensive surge is that it has been a complete effort. The aforesaid Randle is not the only one putting in work on this end.

Since components like the outside shooting are a work in progress, everyone’s collective help will remain necessary.

Shots may not fall on a nightly basis; however, defense is an area players can always dictate. It entails a desire to come to the gym on that same kind of basis even if stats like points are not constantly there.

Suffice to say, that desire is alive and well within the hearts of this young unit.

In case anyone has a thirst to see actual proof, Garrison disclosed the Lakers’ present defensive ratings in comparison to last season’s. In a word, there is a definite disparity.

"The biggest difference certainly looks like defense when parsing the numbers, too. The Lakers were 27th in defensive rating despite their 10-10 start, allowing 107.4 points per 100 possessions. This season, they’re ranked seventh through 10 games, cutting that down to 101.2 points allowed per 100 possessions."

Numbers along these lines are eye-popping because everyone knew the team defense was a concern headed into the year. That being said, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers can continue their impressive defensive play.

Next: 5 Goals to achieve in 2017-18 season

As was said, if this is accomplished, it is safe to imagine that the offense will slowly get going. When this transpires, perhaps it will not be too crazy to deem L.A. as a dark horse candidate in the West.