Defense has been known to win games and as far as Kobe Bryant is concerned, the Lakers have a poor one to show.
Such was apparent in their loss to the Raptors in their preseason duel and this early, the Lakers star wants his team to start working on that as the NBA regular season draws near.
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"A lot of [defense] is experience, timing, knowing the other team … Staying in front of the ball, that's really important to us — close-out defense" Bryant said, per the Los Angeles Times.
With a young team to lead, Bryant has been there to point out the shortcomings of the current Lakers roster. And considering that head coach Byron Scott has been known for his defensive sets, the poor showing now becomes a cause for concern.
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"Containing the dribble, that was the biggest [deficiency]," Scott said. "We're just not guarding people very well. We're getting beat on the little things we keep harping about.”
Little things pertain to hustle and respecting anyone who has the ball. Though it wasn’t mentioned, this seems to be geared at the guards, Jordan Clarkson and rookie D’Angelo Russell.
All plays start from the point guard and disrupting the playmaking abilities of the designated player will already be a point for them.
With the Lakers young core, the mistakes are expected. But then again, it should be something corrected. The team has three weeks to do that and hopefully they are successful. Doing so could check the poor two seasons the Lakers have had.
But it is not only about the defensive efforts of Clarkson and Russell. Roy Hibbert, Julius Randle, Brandon Bass and Lou Williams will have to do their part as well. The Lakers are not lacking in offense. In fact, good defense will translate to turnovers and eventually fastbreak points.
Apparently this is what Bryant and Scott want to see and hopefully the Lakers can realize and thrive on that.
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