Believe it or not, the 2024-25 NBA regular season is almost over. The Los Angeles Lakers only have 11 games left before it is time for playoff basketball in Southern California. However, there should be no looking past the importance of these games.
The Lakers have dropped down to fifth in the Western Conference amid their recent slump. With the standings still packed together tightly, there should still be an opportunity for Los Angeles to ascend the ranks. Although, the three-game gap between them and the Houston Rockets for the second seed is starting to look a lot more sizable with how few matchups are left for both teams.
With the Lakers' ranking fourth in terms of remaining strength of schedule, there will be pressure on a couple of key x-factors to swing in the team's favor down this pivotal stretch.
Team defense
The Lakers were catapulted to contender status and success by their surprisingly strong defense. There were stretches when Los Angeles could be highlighted as the best defense in the NBA. That has not been the case recently.
The team's defensive rating has dropped significantly over their last 10 games. The difference is pretty drastic too. The Lakers rank 23rd in defensive rating during that span. Their mark of 119.3 warrants some significant concern and can be used as a rational point of emphasis as to why the team has dropped off with their results in the win-loss column.
With the team getting healthier, the Lakers have to emphasize recommitting themselves to the defensive end in order to return to their winning ways.
Jaxson Hayes
Hayes was forced to miss four games in March due to injury. Unsurprisingly, the Lakers lost all four of those games.
With the frontcourt being as depleted as it is, the Lakers have been forced to lean on Hayes a lot. The new Lakers starting center has answered the call fairly well. Since Luka Doncic's debut, Hayes has averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 block, and 0.7 steals per game, while shooting 76.5 percent from the field.
Since that same point, the Lakers are 11-1 when the athletic big man plays at least 20 minutes in a game. JJ Redick and company will undoubtedly need to lean on Hayes for a pivotal role down the stretch of this season and throughout the NBA Playoffs. The Lakers will need the best version of him to truly solidify themselves as a contender before the postseason.
Luka's continued offensive acclimation
Doncic has looked more and more comfortable with the Lakers as the season has gone on. However, the Lakers' overall offense has not quite followed suit just yet.
Over the last 15 games, the Lakers rank 19th in offensive rating with a mark of 114.2. As Los Angeles has fundamentally shifted their offense towards playing a style Doncic is more accustomed to, the growing pains are still evidently there.
This will not be a fix that happens overnight, but the sooner the Lakers can resemble something of a top 10 offense in the league, the less overly reliant they will be on having the defense be the complete catalyst for their success.
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