‘A million choices’: Lakers defense will get a Christmas Day test against Rockets
It’s not the lineups, the injuries or necessarily the system. The cause of the Lakers’ defensive collapse is a thousand small decisions gone wrong.
“It’s just about making a choice,” coach JJ Redick said after the Lakers gave up 132 points in a decision loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. “It’s making a choice. There are shortcuts you can take or you can do the hard thing and you can take the second try or you can go back or not. It’s just one choice and there are a million choices in a game, and you’re most likely not going to make all the choices correctly. But can you get the vast majority of them correctly? It gives you a chance to win.”
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After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season, the Lakers (19-9) are ranked 28th in defensive rating in their last 14 games on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets at 5:00 PM PST at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers, without individual defenders, need a perfectly executed team defense to compete. But 15 different starting lineups in 28 games have delayed some of the team’s ability to build continuity. The Lakers had their full roster of 14 players on standard contracts for two games.
Forward Rui Hachimura (groin) and Luka Doncic (leg) could return Thursday. Guard Gabe Vincent, one of the team’s best defensive options on the perimeter, will miss his fourth game due to lower back soreness. Center Jaxson Hayes pinched his left ankle in the second quarter of Tuesday’s loss and did not return.
The Rockets (17-10) limped into the Christmas Day blockbuster with their own struggles. The team believed to be one of the few capable of challenging Oklahoma City in the West has lost five of its last seven games. Three of the losses came in overtime and four came against teams currently out of play, including Tuesday’s loss to the Clippers.
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Read more: Austin Reaves’ return can’t save the Lakers from a dismal defensive effort in a loss to the Suns
Led by Kevin Durant’s 25.2 points, the Rockets represent a statistical anomaly in the modern, fast-paced, possession-maximizing NBA. They have the third-ranked attack in the league despite being one of the slowest. They shoot fewer three-pointers per game, but they make them at a 40% clip that ranks second and they dominate the glass with an NBA-leading 48.7 rebounds and 16.1 offensive rebounds per game.
Houston’s physicality and experience on the scoreboard could be particularly concerning for a team that has yet to consciously choose defense based on possession instead of consistently living up to a tough standard of play.
“There’s really no defense, no scheme that we can run when we give up offensive rebounds in crucial moments like we, our [opponents] they’re going wherever they want on the court,” guard Marcus Smart said after Tuesday’s loss. “And there’s no help, there’s no resistance, there’s no urgency. … It depends on us.”
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The Suns grabbed 12 offensive rebounds against the Lakers on 35 missed shots, an offensive rebounding rate of 34.3%. After the Suns made a 3-pointer by twice grabbing offensive rebounds from tipped balls, the Lakers players got into a heated discussion in a timeout with Smart gesturing toward center Deandre Ayton about tipping the rebounds. Ayton, who finished with 10 rebounds and 12 points, and Smart ended the timeout by high-fiving.
“[I need to] keep talking to the guys, even though sometimes they might not want to hear it,” said Smart, a free agent the Lakers coveted for his leadership and toughness on defense. “Especially when we lose, nobody wants to hear it, including me, but we also have to understand that it’s critical for us to hear those things and see and be able to talk to each other and understand it as players on the court, because we’re the ones out there.”
Redick has intentionally created moments for players to connect and communicate during each timeout this season before the coaches speak. The strategy was intended to encourage players to take on a larger leadership role. “Championship communication” was one of the three pillars of the team.
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, left, fouls Clippers guard James Harden on a layup during Saturday’s game. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
In addition to “championship form,” Redick also asked his team to build “championship habits.” Living by mantras is easier said than done.
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“It’s not an easy choice,” Redick said. “It’s human nature… We do it every day. We make easy choices because it’s convenient. Convenient doesn’t win.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.