3. They should be a strong defensive team
Here’s another aspect of the game the Lakers have been downright bad at in recent years. From 2012-13 to 2016-17, the team finished towards the bottom of the league in defensive rating.
The past two seasons they finished 12th in that metric, and truth be told, former head coach Luke Walton deserves plenty of credit for remaking the team into a solid defensive unit. But once the compound effect of last season’s injuries really hit, they regressed towards being a bad defensive team, regularly giving up at least 115 points during the second half of the schedule.
That should change, maybe big time, this upcoming season.
Davis is not only dominant offensively, but also defensively, especially when you look at his defensive metrics and where they rank relative to the rest of the league. He not only blocks shots, but he controls them to a teammate to start the fast break, the way young big men are taught to.
In addition, with Dwight Howard in the fold, the Lakers can have at least one strong rim protector on the floor at all times.
The team has also signed noted high-level perimeter defenders in Danny Green and Avery Bradley. Both have made the All-Defensive team at least once, and should mightily help the Lakers corral opposing All-Stars and make them work for their points.
They also picked up Jared Dudley, who may not be an elite defender, but is the type of guy who will give 100 percent at that end and get under the skin of the man he’s guarding.
To top it all off, their new head coach, Frank Vogel, is known as a defensive-minded coach. His 2012-13 and 2013-14 Indiana Pacers teams led the league in defensive rating, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals both years where they were very competitive with James’ Miami Heat.
I don’t know if the Lakers have any chance of finishing in the top five in defense, but they should at least be able to be among the top 10 teams in that category.