3 areas of improvement for the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a roller coaster ride in the early part of the season. After having a torrid 2-5 start to the season, the Lakers have recovered to win 9 out of their next 12 matches.
The Lakers are currently sitting at the seventh position in the Western Conference standings with an 11-8 record. The West is loaded this year with as many as 14 teams with a decent chance of making the playoffs.
The Lakers have been inconsistent with their performances this season, and despite having LeBron James in their ranks, they need to improve in a lot of areas. In the first match the Lakers started off missing their first 15 shots from beyond the arc. But since then, the Lakers have improved massively from the 3PT line and are currently in the top 10 in the league from the 3PT line.
Here are some of the other areas that the Lakers need to improve upon if they dream of making it big this year:
#3 Defensive intensity:
The Los Angeles Lakers are a bottom 10 side when it comes to points allowed per game. Some of that can be attributed to the pace with which they play, which allows the opposition more possessions per game. But still, the Lakers haven't played good defensively as a team.
They were torched by their oppositions early on in the season and the signing of Tyson Chandler has made them more stable at the center position, but the players at other positions also need to step it up defensively.
The Lakers were a very poor defensive side last season, but they didn't have huge expectations. The signing of LeBron James has returned the spotlight to the most glamorous franchise in NBA history and they need to do much better this season. They have some good individuals with very high defensive potential.