Los Angeles Lakers: 7 takeaways from six-game road trip

3. Poor defensive effort

The Lakers defensive performance has been up and down throughout the season. At the start, they did not do well. Once Tyson Chandler was brought aboard, and the schedule lightened up, they got things on track. However, injuries and the trade rumors have led the team’s defensive performance to crater once again.

Without Lonzo Ball in the lineup, the Lakers defense has suffered. Ball set the tone at the top of his defense with his length and athleticism, making things difficult for opposing guards. Without that tone being set, things have fallen off drastically.

During this road trip, the Lakers defense has hit rock bottom. They surrendered 126.5 points per game, giving up at least 115 points in all six games. Philadelphia and Indiana both knocked down at least 50 percent of their 3-point attempts.

The lowest shooting percentage in a game was by the Hawks, who shot 43.5 percent overall and 38.1 percent from the 3-point line. However, they did score 100 points in three quarters, as the Lakers had no answer for them until they started missing shots in the final frame.

Things have gotten especially ugly since the Anthony Davis rumors hit a fever pitch, as the four highest point totals surrendered came in the final four games of the trip. The Lakers have to tighten things up on the defensive end of the court otherwise their playoff hopes will diminish.