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Los Angeles Lakers: Looking For Defense During All-Star Break

By Jackson Sanders

Jan 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are officially on All-Star break following a 102-86 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Their defense has been on a break for much longer than that.

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In addition to giving up 102 to Portland, the Lakers have given up 106, 120, 103, and 113 in their previous four games to the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and Milwaukee Bucks respectively.

Los Angeles has given up more than 100 points in five of their last six games, with the single game under that mark coming by way of holding the mighty New York Knicks (owners of the league’s worst record) to 92 points.

While the offense is not any better than the defense, first-year head coach Byron Scott‘s focus leading up to the season was defense first and foremost.

Scott still believes in a defense-first approach. That is evident in his handling of Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer, and Nick Young. It’s the reason why journeyman Ronnie Price was allowed to be the starting point guard of this team for a big chunk of the season.

And it’s a reason why his first year as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach may be looked at poorly, even disregarding the horrendous record the team has posted.

The team has gotten better in terms of defensive statistics, though it’s just marginally better. They are no longer the sole team at 30th in points allowed per game, and are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves according to ESPN.com. Their defensive efficiency rating sits at 29th in the league as well, according to NBA Stats.

Both awful rankings for what has been an absolutely terrible defensive team.

The problem is that it doesn’t seem to be getting any better, but the solution is in Byron Scott ingraining defense in the team’s culture.

Jordan Clarkson, who is the primary focus of the organization right now, has been run through the gauntlet of point guard matchups since becoming a starter. Most of the high profile players he’s been tasked with guarding have torched him, and Ty Lawson of the struggling Denver Nuggets was no different.

With one minute remaining in that matchup, Scott actually benched Clarkson in favor of Jeremy Lin.

His reason for that benching? Defense.

For those unfamiliar, or still in shock from reading that sentence, being told Jeremy Lin’s defense is preferred over your own is not the best career move for a basketball player. But the one constant in Byron Scott’s team this year has been accountability, and even the most important piece remaining on the active roster must remain accountable.

If Scott doesn’t like the way you’re playing defense, he’ll try to find someone who can.

With the trade deadline coming up, and a few trade chips up their sleeve, it’s possible the Los Angeles Lakers will be hunting for players that can do exactly that. It certainly would make life easier for the coach, and if a few pieces were allowed to continue their careers elsewhere (Lin, Boozer), it would be a win all around.

Acquiring a few pieces with a defensive mindset could be crucial to developing the identity for the squad going into next season.

This will be one of the biggest storylines for the Los Angeles Lakers as they search for defensive answers going into the All-Star break.

Next: The Lakers And The Talent Gap

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