Los Angeles Lakers: 8 factors and trends from hot streak

3. Improved Team Defense

The Lakers defense has improved dramatically since the beginning of the season. One huge reason is that the players have started to play much better team defense.

Criticism was leveled at the individual defensive effort of many players earlier this season. But rather than a lack of effort, it was much more an uncertainty about what to do (help out or stay with my man?) and a hesitancy to step up as teammates struggled to get accustomed to one another.

Key ingredients of team defense are communication, coordination, trusting your teammates, and execution. All of that requires playing time together. It doesn’t just happen after a few weeks of training camp.

The Lakers have gotten better at every aspect as the season has progressed. They still have lapses, as they did in allowing 44 fourth-quarter points recently to San Antonio. But, by working together they have become much more potent defensively. Chances are the process will continue as more time together should result in even tighter team D.

Team defense is something that Magic Johnson keenly understands. He was a below-average individual defender who was often assigned to guard the opposition’s weakest perimeter player. But Magic understood the principles of positioning and coordinating with his teammates and became an outstanding team defender for the Showtime champions.