Derek Fisher says the Los Angeles Lakers have a strategy that could solve their defensive angst.
JJ Redick almost lost his mind during the Lakers-Raptors game when the defense gave up a lead in the fourth quarter. The Lakers did recover to win the game, but it undid all of the hard work they had put in to establish the lead.
Redick wants the Lakers to be strong defensively. The reality is they are a mid-ranked team defensively, 16th in the league for Defensive Rating; with 114.4 points allowed per 100 possessions.
Speaking to 97.1 The Fan, former Lakers star Derek Fisher says that ultimately, it does not matter, because they have arguably the greatest offensive player in the NBA in Luka Doncic. He explains that Doncic’s firepower, supported by Austin Reaves, can help to break the will of most teams.
“We spent a lot of our time talking about the Lakers and the commitment to the defensive end that they wanted to have, that they could be a nasty defensive team. I think the reality thus far is that their best defense is their offense.
“I don’t know if they’re going to necessarily be a lockdown, shut-them-down team defensively. I think the pressure that they put on you offensively is what will break teams’ spirit, and that’ll be the end of the floor where they can impose their will the most.”
Fisher points out how starting fast makes it even tougher for opponents
Speaking after the Lakers’ 138-117 win over the Miami Heat, Fisher added that Doncic’s scoring potential can stress teams out even more if he gets hot early in games.
He explained: “I think that’s really what stands out the most, they’re going to stress people out on the offensive end. They start fast because Luka starts fast, which automatically puts a lot of stress and anxiety on opposing teams because you’re almost playing from behind against them.
“It’s really hard to get a lead on them just due to how fast Luka can get his production started.”
Doncic is averaging a staggering 38.3 points per game this season, putting up 42 points against the Heat. He has managed more than 40 in four of his past five games.
Teammate Sandro Mamukelashvili has labelled his ability as ‘unexplainable’, while former star Sasha Vujacic has compared his ‘killer instinct’ to Kobe Bryant.
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