The Los Angeles Lakers entered January scrambling for answers to their most puzzling flaw. Despite the presence of a five-time All-Defense honoree in Anthony Davis, the Lakers couldn't seem to stop teams from scoring at virtual will against them.
One of the quiet developments during the current month of play, however, has been Los Angeles emerging as an above-average defensive team.
Los Angeles is currently 21st in defensive rating, which certainly paints the picture of it being a dreadful team in that regard. To make matters worse, the Lakers are 23rd in opponent fast-break points, 25th in second-chance points allowed, and 28th in points allowed in the paint.
The purple and gold also rank 19th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, albeit while placing 13th in three-point field goals allowed per 100 possessions.
Thankfully, the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith at the end of December has completely transformed the identity of JJ Redick's team. Finney-Smith has brought a needed level of intensity to the defensive perimeter, which has helped highlight Max Christie's strength on defense in the process.
The result of this influx of talent has enabled the Lakers to raise their own standard on defense—and their quality of play has followed suit.
Lakers are finally playing at a high level on defense
Since Jan. 1, the Lakers rank 13th in the NBA in defensive rating. It's a stunning development that speaks to how desperate the team was for quality along the wings, as well as how close Redick has them to competing at a top-10 level on that end of the floor now that it's arrived.
Los Angeles also ranks 13th in offensive rating and 12th in net rating during that time, thus seemingly resolving the imbalance that had defined its season.
One of the most essential elements of the Lakers' success has been a drastic improvement in transition. They may rank 23rd in fast-break points allowed on the season, but they're No. 4 in the NBA in that same statistic since Jan. 1.
Los Angeles is also 16th in the NBA in points allowed in the paint during the month of January, which is a drastic improvement from ranking in the bottom three of the Association entering 2025.
It remains to be seen how sustainable this success truly is. It's also essential that the Lakers continue to pursue paths to improvement even if the current quality can be carried into the playoffs, as the competition will improve tremendously in that setting.
One simply must tip their hat to Redick for adapting on the fly and giving the Lakers a chance to turn the 2024-25 season into a memorable campaign.