The revamped Los Angeles Lakers defense has been one of the key stories in the NBA over this past month. Some critics would have thought the good times were coming to an end because Luka Doncic was bound to slow them down defensively. That has been far from the case.
The Lakers racked up their eighth straight win on Thursday night against the New York Knicks. This one featured a great come from behind victory by Los Angeles. The Lakers rallied behind a 23-15 fourth quarter to force overtime and win a nail-biting 113-109 contest over the Knicks. The thing that stood out to LeBron James about the team's comeback was their defensive effort.
"We gave up 15 points in the fourth quarter. We hang our hats there," James told Lakers Daily.
Some have struggled to understand this Lakers enigma on the defensive end. However, there is one player who recently matched up against the Lakers, that tried to explain exactly how JJ Redick and his team are making life difficult for opposing offenses right now.
Trey Murphy III opens up about challenge of facing Lakers defense
The New Orleans Pelicans faced off against Los Angeles this past Tuesday night, meeting the same fate that all of the Lakers' previous eight opponents have suffered. The Pelicans were blown out comfortably by Doncic and company, losing by a final score of 136-115.
That game actually had Los Angeles giving up the most points they have surrendered to a team amid this winning streak. Trey Murphy, who managed to score 19 points in the loss, offered some insight into what it was like playing against the Lakers defense.
"They play a really smart defense where they shut off driving lanes, they help off of guys and they just try to funnel everything into the paint but also still try to take away paint points," the Pelicans star told The Young Man & the Three.
One of the key takeaways there should be Murhpy's comments referring to the basketball IQ that is involved in playing the brand of defense that Los Angeles has showcased. That was an aspect that was largely overlooked when trying to assess how this unit would look with Doncic in the mix.
The rejuvenated defense certainly bodes well for the Lakers' championship aspirations in 2024-25. During recent weeks, every time an opportunity presents itself to check in on how the Lakers are doing in the defensive rating category over their last 15 games, the answers continues to be them ranking first in the NBA. Their current mark of 107.7 still holds that distinction.
To Murphy's point, while Los Angeles continues to funnel everything into the paint, they are not actually surrendering a lot of those points. Over that same 15-game span, the Lakers are tied for third in the league for the fewest opponent points in the paint (45.6).
Los Angeles is quickly creeping towards the top 10 of defensive ratings in the entirety of the NBA season as a whole. Their mark of 112.5 just barely trails the Memphis Grizzlies' rating of 112.1 for 10th in the association.
Some people are still waiting for the other shoe to drop for the Lakers. With every passing game, it feels less and less likely of that happening.