After a rough patch earlier in the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have found their rhythm, posting a 4-1 record over their last five games. The return of LeBron James to the lineup has been pivotal to the team’s success, particularly in leading their defensive improvements that have been crucial to turning things around.
Despite shooting struggles in their recent victories over the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers’ defensive effort has been a key factor in securing wins. Both games saw the team battle offensive woes, but their defense held strong and ultimately led to back-to-back wins.
After the game, James acknowledged that in order to win, the team couldn’t rely solely on offense, which led to improvements on the defensive end. “We understand that in order for us to compete in every game and win games, we can’t rely on offense all the time,” James explained via Spectrum SportsNet. “We have to buckle down on defense.”
“I don’t know when that was, maybe six or seven games ago or whatever when our defense was not so good, I think it was that road trip where we went to Miami,” James explained. “But from that moment, we just started really sharpening our defense.”
James confident offense will improve
While the Lakers’ offense has been inconsistent of late, with both James and Anthony Davis facing shooting challenges, James remains optimistic. In the games against the Kings, no one on the team shot efficiently. James converted 21 of 45 shots over the two games, while Davis made just 11 of 30 attempts.
However, James believes that the offense will eventually improve, but that defense has proven to be the key to winning games. “I think our offense is gonna come, we understand that,” James said. “But you can win games in this league when you’re defending at a high level, and we’ve been doing that over these last couple of weeks.”
LeBron’s leadership on defense
For James, his leadership voice has been the most crucial aspect of the Lakers’ defensive success. He takes responsibility for guiding his teammates and making sure everyone is on the same page defensively.
“Most important is my voice,” James revealed. “I always gotta make sure that my voice is always commanding and calling things out and letting guys know what’s happening behind the defense.”
“So I just try to guide the rest of the guys behind the back line and let those guys know what’s going on behind them,” he continued. “Just try to be in the right place at the right time and also try to take responsibility with my individual matchups, whoever that may be that night.”