On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers played their first game since LeBron James suffered a high ankle sprain, which has thrown the final eight weeks of their season into unexpected peril.

Their first test wasn't an easy one. The Junior Varsity Lakers faced the Phoenix Suns (28-13) on the road in the second leg of a back-t0-back, barely more than 24 hours since James' MRI results were announced.

All things considered, they didn't fare so poorly. Yes, they lost, 111-94, and never truly threatened to win the ballgame. But their effort was admirable, including a fourth-quarter push to close the Suns' lead to within seven points with 6:33 remaining.

“I'm optimistic,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel evaluated postgame. “I’m just proud of the way our guys competed … in a tough circumstance. … I think our guys really fought tonight. ”

The Lakers can't compensate for the joint absences of their two superstars. There are plenty of adjustments that need to be made, and expectations have to be altered. However, as the defending champions navigate the choppy waters without James and Anthony Davis — for likely three more weeks, at least — there are two things they can prioritize, according to Dennis Schröder: perimeter shooting and a more blue-collar defensive identity.

James' MVP-caliber impact has been felt on the defensive end as much as offense. He's a vital communicator that holds the unit together, and his metrics and the eye test glaringly bear that out. The 36-year-old's defensive commitment has enabled L.A. to remain atop the NBA in defensive rating.

Without their stalwarts — and Marc Gasol — the Lakers won't have the same level of size, structure and synchronicity on D. But they can still get their uniforms dirty, take charges, and generally pester the other team.

“On the defensive end, we gotta be more scrappy,” said Schröder — perhaps the scrappiest player on the team.

On Sunday, Schröder hounded his former teammate Chris Paul, holding the All-Star to 3-of-11 shooting. During one stretch in the third quarter, Dennis the Menace forced an offensive foul on Paul and a loose-ball foul on Deandre Ayton on consecutive plays, then picked up a steal moments later.

However, the Lakers had three thefts overall and forced only 11 turnovers. They got outrebounded by 10. They can be scrappier.

The Lakers squad that took the floor in Phoenix was woefully undersized, especially after the departure of Damian Jones. As hard as they competed, having 6'8ers Montrezl Harrell and Markieff Morris on the backline simply won't cut it against a big like Deandre Ayton.

Ayton rolled to 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while L.A. posted a season low in blocks (two) and second-chance points (eight) in the loss.

Look for GM Rob Pelinka to address this predicament on the buyout market in the coming days (ahem: Andre Drummond), or bring back Jones.

As Schröder noted, the Lakers have to remedy their 3-point shooting, and it starts with shooting more. Following a relatively hot stretch in the first four games of the second half, the Lakers rank 22nd in 3-point percentage (35.4) and 26th in attempts per game (29.7).

Playing shorthanded against the Suns, their inability to knock down shots was crippling for the second time of the weekend. The Lakers shot 5-of-25 from downtown, tying their season-low for 3-point percentage in any game this season. On Saturday, they made 8-of-26 from deep in their loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers can't make every shot go through the bucket, but they can certainly take more.

“How we played before with them two on the court, it’s totally opposite now,” Schröder said, in reference to James and Davis. “I think we got to move the ball, we got to play with more pace. … Everybody who is coming on the floor has got to be confident to knock down the shot or to impact the game on the defensive end.”

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The Lakers did a fine job of pushing the pace. They outscored Phoenix 17-6 in fast-break points, which kept them hanging around. In the end, though, Montrezl Harrell's 23 points off the bench (10-of-13 FG) and Schroder's 22 points weren't enough to overcome a 41 percent night from the field.

“I think we all gotta take more pride now, starts with me individually, to be better,” Schröder added. “Especially when we’ve got a lot of people out, we gotta start to get in that mentality, everybody individually giving everything they have, and I think it starts tomorrow. Everybody just look at themselves, trying to get better and every day try to work and get the job done.”

Let's give the Lakers a few days to reshuffle the deck and truly prepare for life without LeBron. Specifically, how they execute and address Schröder's two proclaimed keys to staying afloat as the trade deadline approaches.

And, on the bright side, maybe a few guys — Talen-Horton Tucker? Devontae Cacok? Alfonzo McKinnie? Wesley Matthews? — will take advantage of newfound opportunities.

“Everybody gets to touch the court, get minutes, prove themself,” Schröder said. “Prove to their teammates, the organization, that they can play … Go out there, have fun, compete, and try to get some wins.”

Next up for the Lakers: a visit to the Big Easy to face Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.