The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to win games after beating the Golden State Warriors last Christmas, and injuries to key players like LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Lonzo Ball are among the main reasons why they haven't been able to carry their momentum from last year.
After finishing 2018 as the fourth best team in the Western Conference, the Lakers are now in the 10th spot.
Before the injuries, the Lakers were one of the 12 best defensive teams in the league. Head coach Luke Walton addressed their struggles on that end of the floor recently and emphasized that in order for them to get back to their winning ways, they have to put extra effort on defense.
Luke Walton today: “The most important thing is we start playing defense again. Our defense is going in the wrong direction right now. That’s something we’ve been able to hang our hat on all season, and we’re starting to get a little slippage.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 9, 2019
One of the Lakers' best defenders this season has been Ball. In fact, prior to the sophomore point guard's injury, Los Angeles was playing great defense even without LeBron.
To Walton’s point, L.A. had the NBA’s 7th ranked defense – rating of 106.7 – when Lonzo Ball got injured on Jan. 21. Since then, they have the 26th ranked defense – 116.8. Ball is three weeks into what was given as a 4-to-6 week timetable. https://t.co/F8lYAfT42M
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 9, 2019
Ball is expected to return after the All-Star break.
The Lakers are starting to get all of their guys back, and they can be a really good team when healthy. They reminded the league just how dangerous they can be with a 129-128 win against the Boston Celtics, the third best team in the East.
With 29 games left, the Lakers will need to make a major run in the final two months of the season if they want to make the playoffs. It's going to be a daunting task, but they are capable of doing it. They have LeBron and a bunch of young guys who want to prove that they can help the purple and gold franchise become successful once again.
But everything starts on the defensive end.
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