The Los Angeles Lakers have officially shown what the team promises for the coming NBA season and from the looks of it, the team may have a whole lot of work ahead for them.
Head coach Byron Scott is known for placing emphasis on defense but sadly, that is a department the Lakers sorely lacked when they met the Toronto Raptors.
Such was visible and resident star Kobe Bryant took the lead in emphasizing that if they are to improve this season, it all starts by playing good defense.
"A lot of [defense] is experience, timing, knowing the other team … Staying in front of the ball, that's really important to us — close-out defense," says Kobe Bryant via the LA Times.
Apparently Scott echoes the same sentiments and believes that with the NBA regular season fast approaching, they have to improve on that in the remaining weeks.
Aside from the defensive lapses, the Lakers did show some things to look forward to. Understandably, the 2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers team is made up of young players which somehow justifies the reason why the Lakers are far from being at the level that Scott and Bryant want the team to be.
"Some of it can be neutralized by defending our principles. They understand what we have to do. We seem to be a step or two slow in the process of doing it," says head coach Byron Scott.
The bright spots included of course, seeing Kobe flashing some of his reliable form with some help from new recruit, Lou Williams.
The 28-year-old Williams ironically played for the team they faced at the time and ended up with 19 points, which could ease the scoring burden expected from Bryant this coming season.
"He's been active defensively, using his lane to try to disturb ballhandlers," Bryant said. "He can be really disruptive on the defensive end because of his length."
But after Williams, who comes next? Roy Hibbert? Jordan Clarkson? Julius Randle? Brandon Bass? How about rookie D’Angelo Russell?
Apparently, the other guys need to step up either in scoring or some other department for the Lakers to succeed. And perhaps this is where the defensive schematics come in.
Scoring is needed but defense is equally important. Brunt of that may eventually fall on the shoulders of Hibbert and Bass, as well as some hustle from Clarkson and Russell eventually.
For the Lakers to improve their defensive matrix, Kobe may have to take the lead. Being the leader, he is expected to show the way, and hopefully his teammates will follow and heed his (and Scott’s) call for better defense heading into the 2015-16 NBA season.