Closeout on shooters at the 3-point line
While the Lakers have been stellar on defense thanks mainly to the extraordinary efforts of Anthony Davis, they have been quite slow at times in terms of closing out on the shooters around the 3-point line.
When the opposing team makes the extra pass, it seems as though the Lakers switch off and allow the opposing shooter to get a wide-open shot. Even during the regular season, this isn’t acceptable from a team with championship or bust expectations.
If the Lakers had a lack of perimeter defenders then maybe it would be considered acceptable, however, when you have players like Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Alex Caruso, Avery Bradley, Jared Dudley Anthony Davis, and LeBron James all capable of making life difficult for their man on the perimeter then it isn’t ok.
The great thing about the criticism is it is effort based. If the Lakers exert a little bit more effort in terms of closing out the open 3-point shooter then the opposing team’s 3-point percentage will potentially go down, games which are at times close for the Lakers now become more comfortable and in turn, key players will get more rest due to the Lakers winning by a larger margin.
Fixing these bad habits during the regular season is essential for the playoff push. More accountability from the coaching staff and players will help get rid of this bad habit.