Importance of patience being reinforced for Lakers early in season after 25-point collapse
The early-season success might’ve masked the reality of where the Lakers are at in their team-building journey. But they returned to Southern California for their back-to-back set against the Raptors and Heat with a renewed perspective on what needs to happen for them to grow into the championship-caliber team they’re hoping to become.And how the process isn’t as easy or linear as they made it look early on.“We want to become a great team,” coach JJ Redick said.“You don’t become a great team in six games.
We want to become a great team after 82 games and have a chance to go compete for a championship in April, May and June.It’s a process to get there.”There was a hitch in the process during Friday’s blowout loss to the Warriors at Chase Center. The Lakers went from looking like worldbeaters when they took a 25-point lead early in the second quarter to unrecognizable by the time the Warriors completed the 42-point turnaround.Their offense fell off a cliff when the Warriors blitzed or put two on the ball against Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.The Lakers star guards created the types of advantages teams strive for.But they didn’t cash in on the openings, with it being clear that the role players are still learning how to operate when playing four-on-three basketball.“We just need to do better with that,” Doncic said.
“You create [an] advantage, you put two on the ball.And you got to go score.
It’s a four on three, so we gotta be better at that.”It sounds easy.But the small sample the Lakers have when playing against teams deploying more aggressive defensive coverages makes it clear it isn’t as easy as it appears.There’s a rhythm to playing advantage basketball. Spacing principles need to be mastered.Decision-making needs to be quick and crisp before those advantages disappear and evaporate just as quickly as they were created. With so many new faces, the nuances haven’t set in yet.“Obviously, it’s a new team, so a lot of...