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Amid the Los Angeles Lakers’ current three-game losing streak, several issues have come to the forefront, with defense being chief among them. The Lakers haven’t exactly been a good defensive team all season, but those issues have been masked amid their strong start to the year. After the Lakers’ practice on Saturday, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura pledged to do their part to help solve the defense’s problems, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
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For Deandre Ayton, his defensive contributions are not only an anchor in the middle, but also his communication with his teammates.
“Holding my guys accountable, especially starting with me,” Ayton said. “No matter how the game goes, we stick to our principles no matter what…that’s how we’re going to play defense – tough and [with] second effort.
For Rui Hachimura, energy and focus were the key things he needed to focus on, on the defensive end.
“I need to focus more on energy delivery and physicality,” Hachimura said. “Those kinds of things will help.”
The Lakers look to end their losing streak when they host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Coming into the game, the Lakers are 10th in the league in opponent points per game with 112.2. They are 15th in the league in defensive rating at 114.7. Over the last four games, the Lakers have given up their season high in points (135 on December 18 against the Utah Jazz) and their second-highest mark (132 on December 23 against the Suns).
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