"EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- As the Los Angeles Lakers attempt to turn themselves from a team with a great record to an actually great team, their coach, JJ Redick, has turned to his stars to give more on the defensive end. And with about a week for that talk between Redick and Luka Doncic and LeBron James to have a chance to root itself, Doncic acknowledged the need for it."
""It was good," Doncic said after practice Wednesday when asked about the meeting with Redick. "We talked about a lot, not just that, but he was right. You got to get a little bit more, especially from the star players. So that's on us. That's on me. And we just got to give more, especially at the start the game. We got to start the game better.""
"Despite possessing the No. 3 record in the Western Conference at 18-7, L.A. has floundered defensively -- ranking 20th in the league in defensive rating, 23rd in opponent's fastbreak points allowed and 28th in opponent's 3-point percentage. With the schedule opening up to allow for practice time after the Lakers failed to advance past the NBA Cup quarterfinals, Redick challenged not only Doncic and James, but the entire team, to tighten up -- and toughen up -- defensively."
Lakers hold an 18-7 record but rank poorly defensively, sitting 20th in defensive rating, 23rd in opponent fastbreak points allowed and 28th in opponent 3-point percentage. Coach JJ Redick called a meeting with stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James and challenged the entire team to tighten and toughen defensively. On-court instruction and a pointed film session identified specific shortcomings and set clearer expectations. Doncic acknowledged the need for increased effort, especially from star players, and emphasized starting games better. The Lakers limited the Phoenix Suns to 15 third-quarter points and nearly an eight-minute scoreless stretch in a 116-114 win.
Read at ESPN.com
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