LOS ANGELES — As JJ Redick sat in front of a microphone Wednesday night, his frustration was evident. His Los Angeles Lakers had just lost 132-119 to the San Antonio Spurs. Their opportunity to win the NBA Cup and take advantage of the half-million dollar cash bonus had been wasted.
The Lakers were overwhelmed, beaten too many times in the paint. The Lakers were outscored by 3s, too many open looks created by late turnovers. They were over-punished, with each misstep seemingly responded to by a positive play from their opponent – the game playing out like an endless walk up an incline.
It was undoubtedly a bad night for his team. And in a league where we speak 82 times, it happens.
But there was something else flavoring Redick’s words, perhaps his frustration wasn’t so micro-focused. Broad issues – ones the Lakers need to address – were highlighted. And once again, the Lakers couldn’t defeat them.
“Very few teams don’t have something you can expose,” Redick said. “And we were generally exposed (for) the same things.”
And while Redick would like to see the Lakers do a better job of breaking the glass and creating offensive advantages against teams that use deep coverage, the real problem is easier to isolate.
“I think being able to contain the basketball is probably the hardest thing for our team right now,” Redick said.
It’s not a big revelation. Rival scouts and executives have often identified Los Angeles’ lack of a point-of-attack defender as the team’s most glaring need. And in losses, when the Lakers were bombarded by teams playing at a pace too fast for them – losses like those against the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and Spurs – their inability to trigger a defensive stop was exposed and highlighted.
The answer, at least in a big picture sense, doesn’t appear to be on the horizon via trade, as that part of the schedule unofficially begins Monday, when players who signed offseason deals can be moved.
The player most often linked to the Lakers as a target by rival scouts and executives is New Orleans wing Herbert Jones, who cannot be traded until Jan. 14 because he signed a three-year extension with the Pelicans in July.
While Lakers fans may fantasize about a total sellout of the three-win Pelicans team, team and league sources say Athletics that New Orleans is not interested in moving Jones. And considering what Los Angeles would have to offer in a deal, expiring contracts and just one first-round pick, the Pelicans almost certainly wouldn’t commit at that price.
According to league sources, this future Lakers pick, which could happen in 2031 or 2032, is less valuable than it was before the Luka Dončić trade and since Mark Walter acquired the franchise. The belief is that since Walter has proven to be an effective owner with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he and whoever he entrusts with the franchise will, at a minimum, keep it from the kind of free fall that would truly make this future first-round pick less of a lottery ticket.
Perhaps the Lakers’ asset view or the Pelicans’ view of Jones will change by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, but from here on out, sources point out, New Orleans would need a lot to be convinced otherwise.
The market for point-of-attack defenders hasn’t really grown to date, in part because, unsurprisingly, the teams near the bottom of the league standings perceived to be the most willing sellers aren’t exactly brimming with the two-way talent they’re looking to move.
Even someone like Keon Ellis, who plays an uneven role on the struggling Sacramento Kings, is valued enough that he won’t come cheap.
That’s why, at this point, there doesn’t seem to be a silver bullet to the Lakers’ defensive woes, requiring them to figure things out internally. They’re still getting LeBron James back on track after missing all of preseason and the first month of the year. The team’s best individual defender, Marcus Smart, has already missed 10 games and played with James for only the fourth time this season.
When asked how long it takes for a group to put together a team defense, Dončić jokingly replied: “Two weeks.”
“We know in the NBA there are 82 games. So I would say we have time, but we have to figure it out pretty quickly,” he said. “Our record is pretty good, 17-7 is pretty good to start with. But I feel like we can be a lot better.”
For now, the Lakers are forced to face real questions. Can they continue to use Austin Reaves as their primary backcourt defender in starting lineups without wearing him down? Will a less rusty James quarterback take over the defense and keep them energized like he did a year ago? Are the issues significant enough that the Lakers have to sacrifice the shot they covet because of the offensive advantages it creates for more lineups with defenders like Jarred Vanderbilt or rookie Adou Thiero?
“We’re young in the season for us and we’re going to continue to improve,” James said. “I think defensively we understand that attacking the ball is very important. But first, let’s get back into transition; we can’t give up a lot of transition points like we did tonight. And then we have to contain guys off the dribble. So we’ll continue to get better with more film, more communication…let’s just help each other out.”
This all seems pretty heavy for a team that’s 17-7, but these losses feel like referendums on the Lakers’ ability to truly compete, both in a vacuum and especially in a world in which the Oklahoma City Thunder loses once per lunar cycle. Improving on defense, especially on the perimeter, is the only real chance to close that gap even slightly.
“It’s a weakness we need to be better at,” Reaves said. “And the atmosphere is always good here. We know we can do it. But we have to be a five-man guard group. And again, like Bron said, we have to be on a rope, know the rotations and play hard on that end.”
