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Los Angeles Lakers: Defense could be the X-Factor for next season

By Robert Marvi

WASHINGTON, DC -  NOVEMBER 9: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers plays defense against the Washington Wizards on November 9, 2017 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC -  NOVEMBER 9: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers plays defense against the Washington Wizards on November 9, 2017 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers have put together a promising roster for the 2018-19 season, complete with Lebron, Rajon Rondo and some young, up and coming prospects. But there is one thing that will likely make the difference between them being a good team and possibly being a great team off the bat.

Los Angeles Lakers Nation, we’re back! The arrival of Lebron James, along with fellow NBA world champion Rajon Rondo and loose cannons like Lance Stephenson, Javale Mcgee and Michael Beasley are sure to get the Lakers back into the playoffs for the first time in what seems like forever.

However, the purple and gold and their fan base aren’t about making the playoffs, going deep into the playoffs or even reaching the NBA Finals. This proud franchise is about one thing only: winning the NBA world championship. Nothing else will ultimately satisfy Laker Nation, especially with the best player in the game in town.

When you combine Lebron and the aforementioned wily veterans with blue chippers like Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and summer league MVP Josh Hart, you’d expect the Lakers to be a high scoring team. President of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka have said many times that this team is going to play fast. Just thinking of Ball and Rondo pushing the pace and making the game easier for Lebron and their other teammates should get us stoked.

But it will ultimately be their defense that will determine how far they will go in the playoffs in Year 1 of Lebron. Between Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Hart, Ingram, Kuzma, Ingram and maybe Beasley they should be a decent three-point shooting team and be able to space the floor enough to make themselves one of the most potent offenses in the league.

But as the old basketball saying goes, you can’t run if you don’t have the ball. Defense is always the key to winning in the NBA, even in this age of minimal contact and up-tempo, souped up offenses.

During a four year stretch from the 2013-14 to 2016-17 seasons, the Lakers were arguably the worst defensive team in the league. Last season, they jumped all the way to 12th in defensive efficiency. I don’t care who is on your roster, that’s a huge one-season improvement.

Will the Lakers make another jump into the top six or seven in that category? There is reason for optimism. Lonzo Ball was surprising good in his rookie season on D, and KCP has always been an above-average defender, especially when it comes to team defense. Brandon Ingram has the length and the wingspan to become a really good, if not elite defender, a la Tayshaun Prince or Scottie Pippen, and McGee should provide rim protection when he’s on the floor.

But there are also questions. Lebron is not the great defender he used to be, partly due to age and partly due to conserving energy for his many responsibilities on offense. There is also a question mark about who will play center, other than Mcgee. When the Lakers aren’t going small with their version of the Warriors’ “death lineup”, can kids like Ivica Zubac and Moritz Wagner give them the D and rebounding they need?

If you think back to the last time the Lakers snagged a huge free agent, which was 1996 when Shaq came to town, defense also made the difference. In Shaq’s first three years in L.A., the team ranked eighth, 11th and 23rd in defensive efficiency, and they showed a glaring inability to get stops in the playoffs against grizzled opponents like Utah and San Antonio.

The folllowing year, 1999-2000, Phil Jackson became the head coach and prioritized defense, and the result was a first place rank in defensive efficiency and their first championship since 1988.

We can also look to the current champions for another example. The first time the current iteration of the Golden State Warriors made the playoffs in 2012-13, they ranked 14th in defense and won 47 games before bowing out against the Spurs in the second round of the playoffs. When they won their first title in 2015, they improved to first in defensive efficiency, and they’ve since made defense their trademark as much as their three point shooting.

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If the purple and gold continue to be a decent defensive team like they were last year, expect to see them win roughly 50 games and maybe win one playoff series. But if they truly embrace winning with defense and igniting what should be a deadly transition game off of an elite defense, they could pleasantly surprise many people.

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