The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a slow start and they're still trying to work through some of their issues, but JaVale McGee is off to the best start of his career. LeBron James is singing his praises and he's even going as far as to say that McGee could be the Defensive Player of the Year.
The most newsworthy thing LeBron said at shootaround today is that he thinks JaVale McGee "could be, possibly the Defensive Player of the Year" so that's the latest from Portland
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 3, 2018
It's obviously way too early to start projecting the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, or any end of season awards for that matter. But LeBron James isn't wrong about McGee's strong defense early. The 7-foot center is leading the league with 3.3 blocks per game and his rim protection has been a huge lift for a Lakers team that has struggled to get stops.
Unfortunately, the team's biggest defensive liability is in the frontcourt on the second unit. JaVale McGee is giving tremendous minutes, but head coach Luke Walton needs to be careful not to ride him too hard early in the season. Until he can find a capable second unit center and until the entire team defense improves, no one on the Lakers will be winning any defensive awards any time soon.
The overall team defense has been poor from the purple and gold this season despite McGee's play. LeBron James is correct to highlight McGee's strong defensive showing early in the season, but the overall team defense leaves much to be desired.
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