Los Angeles Lakers: Win over Utah did not solve LA’s problems
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Utah Jazz didn’t fix much.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz on Monday night to clinch the first seed in the Western Conference. It was a big bounce-back win for the Lakers, who were thoroughly beaten by the Toronto Raptors just two days earlier.
That loss, mixed with an ugly win over the Los Angeles Clippers, highlighted some of the flaws in this Lakers’ roster. These flaws, if not fixed, severely hurt the Lakers’ chances in winning the NBA Championship this season.
Luckily, the team still has time to fix these flaws but one win is not going to do it. Sure, the Lakers defeated the Jazz and Anthony Davis was absolutely dominant, but the Lakers’ problems heading into the NBA Playoffs are still relevant.
Did the team play better and do a better job against Utah? Absolutely. However, we must avoid overvaluing this win, as while it was sweet to clinch the Western Conference, there were still some concerning signs.
The Los Angeles Lakers still exhibited the same flaws
If you just look at the box score from this game then you will think that the Los Angeles Lakers did a great job defensively in limiting the Utah Jazz from getting open looks. That is not the case in the slightest.
The Lakers’ biggest issue thus far in the bubble without Avery Bradley has been the perimeter defense. Danny Green has gone missing and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is playing the Mr. Hyde version of himself through three games.
Again, on paper, it looked great. The Jazz shot just 27.9 percent from beyond the arc, but that was more to do with the team not hitting open shots than it was with the Lakers playing great closeout defense.
This was particularly true in the first quarter, where the Utah Jazz got a lot of great looks from beyond the arc and just failed to convert. Over the course of a seven-game playoff series this could come back to burn the Lakers.
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The solution to this problem is going to come via one of two ways: Green and KCP step up their play and play to the level they are capable of (because right now they are not even close); or, Frank Vogel relies more on Alex Caruso and LeBron James plays more inspired defense against opposing wings.
Luckily, both things can happen. Vogel is already starting to show more faith in Caruso and LeBron had a really good defensive stand against the Clippers. Will that hold up in a playoff series? That is the hope, at least.
Davis did play better but I would not say that his play was a real problem for the Lakers. He had one bad game against a really tough Raptors team after a great game against the Clippers. Him going off against Utah does not remove a problem.
LeBron James was better against Utah but still was not his usual self and was a bit sloppy at times. That could just be a product of picking up the tempo but James is going to have to be better in the playoffs. If he plays like this in the playoffs then there is no way that the team reaches the NBA Finals.
The win over the Utah Jazz was a step in the right direction, for sure, and is something that the Lakers can absolutely build on.
The good and bad from the first week back. dark. Next
But at the end of the day, I still was not overly impressed with the team in the victory and still have the same worries that I had after the first two games. They have five more games to iron them out, which I am optimistic that they will.