The Lakers have the NBA’s best record at 10-2. They’ve won six games in a row. They have the highest-rated offense (121.5). They’re considered real championship contenders.
Their biggest hole?
They’re rated 19th defensively. Lakers superstar Luka Doncic believes they can claw their way up those rankings.
“I think we can be [good defensively], but honestly I think we just kind of relax a little bit a couple minutes in the game,” Doncic said after the Lakers’ 124-114 win over the Hawks on Monday. “So that allows the team [to] make the run. I think we just gotta figure that out. I think we can be way better than [19th]. I think we have the potential for that.”
Doncic, who has been dragged through the mud throughout his career for his defense, has made marked improvements in that area this season, including finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and two blocked shots against the Hawks.
Doncic, who leads the league in scoring at 39.3 points per game and is having an MVP-caliber start to the season, has shown much more effort on the less glamorous side of the court through his first 10 games.
He leads the NBA in defensive loose balls recovered (nine) and is tied for second in charges drawn (four).
As a team, the Lakers really falter defensively when Walker Kessler is off the court. And they’re tied for second-to-last in the league in rebounding with 40.3 per game.
But they’re showing a lot of signs that they’re putting in the effort to become a good defensive team.
The Lakers rank second in the NBA in steals per game (10.8), second in total deflections (240) and third in blocks per game (6.4).
Kessler, their defensive anchor, leads the league in contested shots (140), and Matisse Thybulle is second in deflections (50).
