LeBron James Says Lakers’ Recent Defensive Upswing Is Evident After Win Over Pelicans
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The Los Angeles Lakers continued their climb on the defensive end Tuesday night, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena. After the 120-109 victory, forward LeBron James pointed to a string of recent stops as proof that the team’s work on that side of the ball is paying off.
“We got stops,” James said. “They mixed up the defenses a lot, so it confused a little bit offensively. But we made some plays and turned a lot of those stops into fast-break opportunities.”
The numbers back his assessment. Through the first 46 games of the season, Los Angeles owned a 117.3 defensive rating, 25th in the NBA and ahead of only Brooklyn, New Orleans, Sacramento, Washington and Utah. Since Jan. 29, however, the Lakers have posted a 112.0 defensive rating over 15 games, good for 12th in the league while compiling a 9-6 record and a positive net rating.
James, now 41, credited the team’s man-to-man effort against New Orleans. “We didn’t play much at all in zone tonight,” he added. “I thought the man-to-man defense was pretty good. Jaxson Hayes and Marcus Smart were great on that end and then everybody else trickled in as well.”
Los Angeles was built around Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and James, leading many to predict an offense-first roster. With the Lakers ranking ninth in offensive rating since Jan. 29 and trending toward a top-15 defense, they have positioned themselves to compete in the crowded Western Conference.
James to Decide Future After Season
James will enter unrestricted free agency this summer and will turn 42 before next season begins. Options include re-signing with Los Angeles, returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers or retiring. According to multiple reports, he has not made a decision and plans to wait until the offseason before addressing his future.
Source: LakersNation.com
