– Standout on defense
One of the things that the Lakers have to improve on is being better on the defensive end. While the Lakers did start off the season fairly well on the defensive end of the court, they couldn’t sustain it throughout the season.
While the defense made strides with Luke Walton as the head coach, the defense could potentially be one of the best in the league under Frank Vogel. With the Indiana Pacers, Vogel had one of the best defenses in the league.
As the head coach of the Lakers now, Vogel will be expecting to do the same. The Lakers have some good players on the defensive end of the court, but it is important to have a great rim protector at the backend of the defense.
With the Pacers, Roy Hibbert was the anchor in the middle for Vogel’s defense. Now, it will be on McGee and Howard to defend the paint. Last season, McGee averaged 2.0 blocks per game, which is certainly a good number. Under Vogel, the Lakers will once again hope that McGee will be able to do that again.
Even though the perimeter defenders have improved for the Lakers, even the best defenders need some good big men behind them to bail them out.