'I Don’t Think It’s In the Same Class' – Los Angeles Lakers’ Defense is a Concern, According to NBA Analyst

Jovan Buha, an NBA commentator, expressed his worries about the team’s defensive issues. He cited that only Smart, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt are the only reliable defenders on the roster.

“On paper, this should be a top-ten, if not top-five offense,” Buha said. “

You got Luka, Austin, LeBron Deandre, Rui. Even going into Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent, you got six, seven guys who could drop 15-plus any given night.

“To me, it’s the defensive end where you’re looking at Smart, Gabe (Vincent), and Jarred Vanderbilt as your three best perimeter defenders. It’s solid, but when you look at what OKC has, you look at what Minnesota has, when you look at what Houston has, I don’t think it’s in the same class. They are still at a deficit on the defensive end.”

How well did the Los Angeles Lakers perform defensively last season?

The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t a threat on the defensive end last year. However, they were a decent group that intimidated a lot of teams on that end. However, they disappeared when they traded away for Luka Doncic, giving up Anthony Davis. For the longest time, Davis served as the team’s defensive leader.

His ability to block shots made him one of the best defensive players. He averaged 2.2 blocks when he was with the Lakers.

Even with his departure, LA still managed to do well defensively. They had a net rating of 113.8 and finished 17th in the NBA. Without their best defender, the Lakers struggled to contain opposing teams.

Coming into the offseason, there was an expectation that the Lakers would address their defense. However, they paid more attention to adding more offensive players.