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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Tips to improve things on the defensive end

By Ronald Agers

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 29: Taj Gibson #67 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball against Kyle Kuzma #0 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter of the game on October 29, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 124-120. 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 29: Taj Gibson #67 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball against Kyle Kuzma #0 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter of the game on October 29, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Lakers 124-120. 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. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Lakers Tip #3…LeBron James…Better Get Some Icy Hot and Play Defense!

If you are getting angry reading this, you are not being objective. You will hear…”So close”, “They’ll figure it out” and when it is too late, my personal favorite…”LeBron has no help”.

Well he has to help himself first.

The Lakers will not get any better on the defensive end until LeBron James buys in to the concept that he has to be the best defender on the team. Luke Walton can preach defense until he’s blue in the face but if he doesn’t call out LeBron James like I’m basically doing now, the Lakers have no chance…

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1053876157639143430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1053876157639143430&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flakeshowlife.com%2F2018%2F10%2F21%2Flos-angeles-lakers-ltakeaways-vs-houston-rockets%2F

You see here, that James is on the floor in crunch time while the Rockets’ center Clint Capela grabs the offensive rebound. Then James gets up to complain about a foul call. Only problem is Carmelo Anthony was the guy that supposedly put him on the floor. A guy that quit playing defense long before James has.

This highlight here…

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1053848877625892864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1053848877625892864&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flakeshowlife.com%2F2018%2F10%2F21%2Flos-angeles-lakers-ltakeaways-vs-houston-rockets%2F

No rotation here. The Lakers are asking for James to be the center this year. Believe me this guy has to play the back line of defense. He’s not moving…not being active!

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1053841444828409857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1053841444828409857&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flakeshowlife.com%2F2018%2F10%2F21%2Flos-angeles-lakers-ltakeaways-vs-houston-rockets%2F

This is just half court defense. Believe me, If LeBron put half as much into his defensive intensity as he did his offense, the Lakers would be above .500 right now.

Here’s the real issue here that is being missed.

LeBron James is going to have to accept the challenge of stopping the hot guy on defense. In the San Antonio game, it was DeMar Derozan who basically carried the Spurs to victory. Josh Hart is a good defensive player, but he’s not good enough to stop an All-Star one on one. LeBron James should have made the adjustment and guarded DeRozan straight up. Didn’t happen.

The Minnesota game was worse…

Jimmy Butler closed out the game scoring 15 of his 32 points in crunch time. I mean this is the time that LeBron James has to say…I’m sick of this! Let me stop this dude. It never happened. The stats that you see across the board are impressive. but it does not show the deficiencies that he is contributing on the defensive end.

It’s no secret that LeBron James’s defensive efficiency has nosedived since he left Miami. The difference is that he had dynamic scorers in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and other three point shooters (JR Smith, Kyle Korver) to compensate for this. That is no longer the case. He is going to have to adjust his defensive mentality to the situation and roster that he has out here.

Next. 5 players the Lakers should consider trading for. dark

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