Lakers’ JJ Redick reveals LA’s biggest defensive issue in Game 1 vs. Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped the first game of their second-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team’s offense fell short in the game. Most notably, Austin Reaves had a disastrous performance and only scored eight points on 18.8% shooting from the field. The Lakers lost by 18 points, but there were positives to take away from their defensive performance.

Los Angeles limited soon-to-be back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to just 18 points. It is a rarity to see the leader of the reigning champions below 20 points in a game. Lakers coach JJ Redick was happy with the way his team defended the Kentucky product.

“I think there was some stuff that we did that was good, with some of the Shai coverages,” Redick said. “I think there is some stuff within that that we did not do well, and that we need to create better clarity for our guys.”

Overall, the Lakers can’t complain too much about how they defended the MVP. They forced Gilgeous-Alexander into numerous uncomfortable spots, and it resulted in him turning the ball over seven times. The Lakers were also able to prevent Gilgeous-Alexander from making a single 3-pointer. The defensive struggles instead came in a different area, and that was in defending Oklahoma City’s bench.

“I do think that we have to be better when he’s [Gilgeous-Alexander] not on the floor,” the head coach stressed. “They play a very specific way when he is not on the floor. They were plus-nine in those minutes, and we’ve got to at least be even.”

Stopping the Thunder’s bench is easier said than done. After all, Oklahoma City is the deepest team in the league, and the Lakers aren’t fully manned because of Luka Doncic’s injury. The minutes when Gilgeous-Alexander sits are certainly going to be easier than when he is on the court, though. The bench unit, which features Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes, and Jake LaRavia, has to be better. Jarred Vanderbilt only played six minutes in the last game, but he could see more time in order to give the Lakers more energy off the bench, too.

The fact that the Lakers slowed down Gilgeous-Alexander is a good start. Now they need Reaves to start looking like himself and for the bench defense to ensure the game isn’t lost when the Thunder’s best player sits.

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