"We need to be better on the defensive end” - Anthony Davis blasts LA Lakers defense after yet another disappointing defeat
Anthony Davis was frank in his assessment of the LA Lakers, saying that their lackluster defense was costing them at the moment. The big man added that they have to do better on that end.
The Lakers slumped to yet another disappointing defeat after a blowout loss to an underhanded Boston Celtics who were playing without their top scorer Jaylen Brown. The LA Lakers were yet again dominated in the paint despite having two of the best interior defenders the game has ever seen in Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard.
Boston was able to put up 56 points in the paint and grab 51 boards, out of which 12 were offensive rebounds. This is a huge cause for concern for the Lakers as they have severely dropped their defensive standards from previous seasons.
According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, Anthony Davis, in his post-match interview, said that the Lakers offense was not a concern despite their low scores. Instead, Davis placed blame on their worrying defensive lapses and believes they have to be better on that end to fulfill their true potential. Here's what he said:
“I don’t think it’s our offense. I think it’s our defense, honestly. We need to be better on the defensive end.”
AD: “I don’t think it’s our offense. I think it’s our defense, honestly. We need to be better on the defensive end.”
Anthony Davis will have to be more vocal and hold his teammates accountable on the defensive end if they are to churn out results. AD has to continue playing the five when Russell Westbrook is on the court with the two big lineups looking extremely shaky at the moment.
How can Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers improve on the defensive end?
The LA Lakers have been atrocious on defense and have blown leads multiple times this season due to their lethargic effort on that end. This is something that is very uncommon for a Frank Vogel team that has one of the best defenders of all time in Anthony Davis.
L.A. ranks 18th in defensive rating, a huge slump for a team that had a top-five defense a year ago.
The Lakers' massive slide on that end began in the off-season when the front office prioritized offense over defense and that showed with their acquisitions. Perimeter players such as Russell Westbrook and Malik Monk are not known much for their defense and that's hurting the Lakers and Davis at the moment.
For Celtics fans lamenting lack of 3-point shooting, look no further than the Lakers tonight. LA flooded their roster with perimeter shooting to supplement AD, LeBron, and Russ, but because those guys don't do much else, they're hurting on defense and second action playmaking.
The Westbrook trade has come to bite them, with his defensive inefficiencies on the perimeter being exploited by guards such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroder, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker and Stephen Curry.
This puts more pressure on the interior, with the likes of Davis and Howard having to contend with smaller guards regularly making it a recipe for disaster. Losing the likes of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso seems to be looking like a massive error with every game.
The LA Lakers will have to play more lineups with Anthony Davis at the five to make up for the lack of perimeter defense. The return of Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn will make them a lot better. They will have to do a better job at rebounding with them having to go up against better forwards and centers in the post-season.
If things continue trending in this direction, the Lakers will have to start evaluating potential trades for Russell Westbrook if they are to have a chance of doing well in the post-season and in the long run.