The Lakers didn’t have a great defensive start to their season on opening night against the Warriors.
Los Angeles couldn’t defend the perimeter as Golden State shot 42.5% from 3-point range. Jimmy Butler
was able to attack Gabe Vincent mercilessly, ending the night with 31 points. And the third quarter was a disaster as the Warriors scored 35 points to take full control of the game, ultimately beating the Lakers 119-109 .
However, even a bad game can have a good takeaway.
Deandre Ayton found one in how the team communicated on the defensive side of the ball.
“I’m excited about all of that because at the same time, I feel like our defense and all, I’m seeing guys step up, play a lot of defense and get stops,” Ayton said postgame. “Yeah, it’s an emotional game, but today we still stuck together and we didn’t break and I like that.”
This may seem inconsequential after a loss, but it matters. Ayton is often in the paint and you can visually see him communicating, pointing to where players need to rotate, telling them when to stay in certain spots and letting them know where he is.
When a game isn’t going your way mentally, one can get frustrated and stop doing these small things because of it. However, the Lakers kept working together to be their best.
This focus and communication are among the reasons the Lakers were able to go on a run in the fourth and get within two possessions of the lead. Sure, it didn’t change the result, but if they play with that level of communication, they’ll win more often than they’ll lose.
With so many new pieces like Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia, everything, including defense, will take some time to optimize.
It was just the first game and playing an offensive juggernaut like the Warriors right away can put a strain on even great defenses, much less one that’s still trying to figure it all out.
Defense is so much about effort and communication. As long as they stay dedicated on that end and head coach JJ Redick tinkers with the rotations to optimize things defensively, then things will only improve from here.
Good things take time, and the Lakers are starting a bit weaker than they’d like. However, the communication is a good sign, and so are players like Ayton taking pride in being a united group and communicating on the floor to get things right.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
