Los Angeles Lakers' defensive problems worry JJ Redick: "We must have more pride"

The Los Angeles Lakers are going through their third week of the season and already facing certain challenges. Despite having Anthony Davis, one of the best defenders in the NBA, the team led by JJ Redick ranks 27th in defensive efficiency, a concerning statistic that the coach hopes to improve as the season progresses.

"I believe we can be a very good defensive team," declared JJ before the game against the Detroit Pistons. "I trust that as we have a broader sample of games, we won't be ranked 27th in the league." However, after the first half of the seventh game of the season, things seemed to be getting worse.

Defeat against the Pistons and questionable defensive performance

On Monday, the Angelenos fell 115-103 to Detroit, a team in full reconstruction, with only two wins in the season. Despite coming off a game the day before in Brooklyn, the Pistons capitalized on the Lakers' defensive issues from the start. The first half ended with Detroit leading by 67 points, and the Lakers couldn't stop their opponents in virtually any aspect of the game.

"We just need to start the game with a bit more defensive pride," Redick said after the defeat.

Anthony Davis led the purple and gold with 37 points and nine rebounds, while LeBron James contributed 20 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. However, the Lakers' bench was outscored 27-10, highlighting the lack of depth and support for their stars.

Problems on all fronts

The Detroit team showed more strength in rebounding, greater speed in transition, and aggressiveness in the attack, surpassing the Lakers in critical aspects such as three-point shooting, despite having low effectiveness in that area. When asked about the specific area where the defense failed, Davis bluntly replied: "Everywhere".

These initial problems forced the Lakers to fight from behind almost the entire game, and although they tried to come back, Detroit's lead was insurmountable. "I just think we didn't compete hard enough in the first half," commented Austin Reaves. "Whenever you're down by 20 points at some point in the game, it's tough to recover."

Redick tried to adjust the rotation in the second half, replacing Max Christie with Cam Reddish and limiting the minutes of rookie Dalton Knecht, who did not play again after the second quarter. Nonetheless, the Pistons ended with 11 more shots, 18 additional rebounds, nine second-chance points, and six more points in the paint than the Lakers.

With this loss, the Lakers secured a five-game road trip with a negative record, a reminder that the team still has significant adjustments to make. "We have to be better on both ends of the court. That's it," LeBron James expressed. "I believe there are moments where we are good and moments where we are not on both ends of the court. There are things we are still working on."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los problemas defensivos de Los Angeles Lakers preocupan a JJ Redick: "Debemos tener más orgullo"