The Los Angeles Lakers are sitting pretty at 7-2 early in the season, and head coach JJ Redick is already sounding like a broken record, in the best way possible. For the second straight game, he is talking up his squad’s defensive grit, even after a less-than-stellar start. It is that kind of resiliency that is putting this team on the map.
Bouncing Back from Flat Starts
Take Monday’s win over the Miami Heat, for example. The team looked sluggish to start, but Redick later praised their second-half showing. They locked Miami down, limiting them to just 45 points and a stunning 95.7 defensive rating. Then, on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings, the purple and gold stumbled again, letting the Kings run up 16 points in the first 4.5 minutes. Redick didn’t waste any time, calling an early timeout, and what happened next was pure defensive magic.
“I think when the game started, we were a little flat. I called an early timeout. They had 16 points,” Redick said after the game. “They scored 87 for the last 43:27 seconds or whatever it was [after] I called that timeout.” That is a massive turnaround. The Lakers ended up cruising to a comfortable 116-103 victory. Redick was pumped about the effort. “The promising thing on that side of the ball is the effort and the intent to execute, I think, is really high. Second efforts were really good. We had a number of veer switches and peel switches and scrambles, had a number of late shot clock possessions for them, some shot clock violations. We did a lot on that end. I think the activity overall was really good, save for the first four minutes or whatever it was.” Against the Kings, the Lakers posted a 105.1 defensive rating, which is their third-stingiest defensive effort of the season. Only their 90.9 rating in an Oct. 28 win over the Los Angeles Clippers and a 96.5 rating on opening night against the Golden State Warriors were better.
Walker Kessler Knows the Grind Isn’t Over
While Redick is hyping up the effort, defensive anchor Walker Kessler knows they have got work to do. He’s pleased with some parts of their play, sure, but he is also seeing areas to refine as the year rolls on, especially in the open floor. “We got to clean up some stuff on the defensive end,” Kessler said Wednesday. “Our half-court defense, once we get set, is pretty good. Got to do better in transition as a collective.”
And that right there is the crux of it, isn’t it? The numbers tell a wild story. This Lakers team allows the seventh-fewest points per 100 transition possessions, which is awesome. But here is the kicker: they allow the sixth-highest transition frequency at 16.9%. That inability to slow teams down and prevent them from getting out on the break is really bogging them down overall. Even though they are seventh in transition defense and eighth in half-court defense with 91.3 points per 100, they are somehow just 16th in overall defensive rating. It is a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, but one they are clearly trying to solve.
Next up, the Lakers face a stiff test on Friday in a rematch against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers own the league’s top-ranked offense and sit top five in both half-court and transition efficiency. Even with Ja Morant out, that is going to be a battle. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside Crypto.com Arena. Can the Lakers’ messy masterpiece of a defense rise to the occasion? You know we are all watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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