What areas can the Lakers make improvements in? How can they defend better?

Sweeping a team who had 50 wins in the regular season was crazy. However their lack of defense sometimes concerns me. Against the Utah Jazz the Lakers will need to play better defensively so I wonder what can the Lakers do to improve?

This is why Bynum is so important to this team because he makes the Lakers a top notch defensive team without him there is no one to guard the paint.

What areas can the Lakers make improvements in? How can they defend better?basketball shoes

They definietly are not the same team defensively without Bynum and Ariza- and we see how badly they need stops when they have those occasional offensive lapses.

If we get Bynum back that will clog up the middle a bit- and give us some better rebounding- i was concerned by: The amount of offensive rebounds we gave up, our sloppiness with the ball (turnovers) and our free throw shooting. Even though we swept- we definitely need to shape up on those things for the next round.

Let's go Lakers!!!

Nickster

What areas can the Lakers make improvements in? How can they defend better?nba champions ,nba teams

Hopefully, Ariza is sufficiently recovered, and can help on the perimeter. As far as interior defense is concerned, I'm not sure what the Lakers can do without Bynum's length and bulk. If Chris Mihm were healthy, he could certainly bang bodies in the low post. Unfortunately, he's not healthy and all the teams remaining in the playoffs have PGs who will push the pace, making Mihm a liability.

It is their defensive shorrtcomings that I'm afraid will keep the Lakers from making the Finals this season. Don't think there's anything the organization can do to address this until the offseason.
They've had the same problems for what seems like forever: they give up way too many offensive rebounds and they can't defend the perimeter. It was like that before Phil Jackson, it was like that during their 3peat, and they were like afterward. They've gotten marginally better at it, but I'm not holding my breath. Teams that can fly and leap through the building as well as shoot the 3 are problem teams for the Lakers. I'm glad the Warriors didn't make the playoffs. They are the prototypical Laker killer recipe.
They went to Utah @ towards the end of the year without Bynum or Gasol and won... What are you talking about??? Get that nonsense out of here...
We need Bynum and Ariza back ( both good D player ) then Lakers should be good!!
GET BYNUM.
LETS JUST HOPE THEY GET HEATHY !!