Los Angeles Lakers need to fix recent defensive issues

Over the past few games, the Los Angeles Lakers have slipped a bit on the defensive end. However, they are well aware and looking to fix it.

The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a great start this season, and a lot of that is due to their commitment to the defensive end of the court.

This offseason, the Lakers made it a priority to improve on the defensive end and shooting from behind the arc. So far this season, but of those weaknesses from last season have been better, with their play on the defensive end especially.

The Lakers have been one of the best defensive teams in the league so far this season, as new head coach, Frank Vogel, has really turned things around. While the Lakers did add some players that have the reputation of being good defenders, a lot of the success or failures on the defensive end come down to effort.

While the Lakers are riding a 6-game winning streak, the defense has slipped a bit the past few games. Recently, LeBron James spoke about this after the win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Here’s what he said via Christian Rivas of Silver Screen and Roll.

"“We’ve got to get our defense back together. We’ve been taking some big hits defensively … We’ve got to be able to contain guys and control the ball … The good thing is it’s all correctable and we’re still getting wins, but when it comes to late in the season, playoff time those are going to turn into losses, so we’ve got to make sure we fix that.”"

James is certainly right that the defense has been a tad off in recent games. In the past three games, the Lakers have allowed at least 105 points, with a shocking 127 points being allowed against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Surely one of the reasons for the slip on the defensive end has been the absence of Avery Bradley. Over the past few games, Bradley has been out recovering from a hairline fracture in his leg. As a pest to opposing guards on the defensive end, Bradley has been missed on that end of the court.

Even without Bradley, the Lakers have shown stretches of being able to completely take a team out of it on the defensive end. When the Lakers ratchet up their pressure, they have been able to make comebacks because of their defensive play. However, against some better competition, those long droughts are a bit more unlikely.

Next up for the Lakers will be the continuation of their road trip against the San Antonio Spurs. Even though the Spurs are struggling a bit right now, this is still a dangerous team with some talented players.