3 massive preseason issues that will doom the Lakers season
By Jason Reed
3. The Lakers have not been able to defend
This is another issue that was rather predictable for the Los Angeles Lakers based on the roster construction. Just like last season, the Lakers have played pretty poor defense in the preseason thus far, which is not a good indicator for the regular season.
There are some talented defensive players that the Lakers are going to be able to lean on this season. Having a duo of Anthony Davis and Patrick Beverley certainly helps, especially in crunch time of close games.
The problem is, regardless of how much Darvin Ham wants to push defensive energy, the roster is simply built to be attacked on the defensive end. This is a roster that is extremely guard-heavy, so much to the point where the team is playing point guards as wings.
That is never going to yield the kind of results that Ham and the team want, regardless of how well they scheme their defense or how much energy they play with. Even in today’s NBA, you sacrifice defense by running small lineups like this and to compound the issue, the team cannot shoot and turns the ball over far too frequently.
Teams are averaging 114.8 points per game in the preseason against the Lakers. That is an extremely troubling sign. Last season the Lakers allowed the third-most points per game at 115.1.