The Los Angeles Lakers’ offensive struggles during their recent loss to the Celtics weren’t unexpected, given the individual talent on the team.
The Celtics took advantage of a noticeable tactical flaw in the Lakers’ approach that has emerged in recent months.
Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted that he bears responsibility for his team’s shortcomings in those situations.
During the game, the Celtics employed multiple big men in a deep drop coverage against the Lakers’ pick-and-roll, effectively stifling the offense. This came right after the Lakers’ strong performance against the Clippers just two days prior.
“When teams play deep drops, we have a counter. We just needed to execute better,” Redick commented, reflecting on the issue. He recognized that sometimes quick ball movement can create a sort of chain reaction, which was lacking. “I own that. We need to improve our response to deep drops,” he added.
The Lakers’ performance against the Celtics was clearly lacking. Their offensive plays were frequently stalled.
Redick pointed out that the number of assists has been declining, which contributes to the team’s struggles to maintain the expected level of excellence, even with stars like Doncic, James, and Reaves leading the way.
They often found themselves stuck in predictable patterns. Instead of utilizing effective passing to shift the defense, they relied heavily on the individual skills of players like Doncic, James, and Reeves to gain an advantage against a Celtics defense that is tough to crack.
This predictability has led to their difficulties.
Similar issues were evident in a previous home loss to the Suns on December 1, where they struggled similarly against a Phoenix team with Mark Williams. The same could be said about the challenges they faced against Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs.
Redick mentioned that assist opportunities are often stunted by these deep drops, acknowledging that he needs to improve in addressing this issue.
A decrease in ball movement, he noted, is not a new challenge for the Lakers. It’s one of the factors that prevent the team from performing consistently well with the star power available.
As Rui Hachimura pointed out, the effectiveness of their offense can depend significantly on the opponent. “Some teams are good at team defense, and we must focus on sharing the ball and trusting each other. Ball movement will be essential,” he emphasized.
This Lakers squad shouldn’t be expected to replicate the fluid play of earlier Spurs teams marked by high-space movement and passing. Yet, it’s fair to anticipate that their defense should perform better, particularly when under pressure.
They possess the talent to transform tactical weaknesses into strengths, as evidenced early in the season when they demonstrated they could adapt their strategies. Consistency is now the name of the game. In itself, that might just be the surprise everyone needs to see.
