The Los Angeles Lakers will enter the 2026-27 season seeking to make protection a much bigger energy after ending 18th in that space final 12 months.
“We clearly must have a greater total season defensively,” JJ Redick stated in Could.
Los Angeles improved through the second half of final season, however the coch nonetheless wished larger consistency.
“We had flashes of that,” Redick added. “I’ve stated this quite a few instances: Our enchancment defensively is a giant credit score to our workers, [assistant coaches] Bob [Beyer] and Greg [St. Jean], and the work they did in movie and in walk-throughs. However we gotta do higher defensively.”
Walker Kessler ought to present the largest improve inside. The Lakers struggled to guard the rim final season, whereas Kessler established himself as one of many NBA’s higher rim protectors throughout his 4 years with Utah.
Though Marcus Good departed, the Lakers strengthened their perimeter depth by including Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams alongside Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia.
Thybulle averaged two steals final season and led certified gamers in steals and deflections per 36 minutes, whereas Williams averaged a career-high 1.4 steals.
With Kessler behind them, Los Angeles also can afford to be extra aggressive defensively on the perimeter.
The Lakers could not have an elite perimeter stopper, however Redick now has extra defensive choices round Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, giving the staff an opportunity to change into an above-average protection.
