Since he was announced as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Byron Scott has preached over and over that the Lakers would play defense. It is the calling card of Scott and he has spent much of the preseason getting the Lakers ready on that end.
The Lakers finally took the floor for their first preseason game, a 98-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets. After the victory Scott said that the team was still nowhere near where he wanted to be on the defensive end according to our own Serena Winters:
Byron Scott says his team is "still a way away" from where he wants them defensively, but isn't worried about
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 7, 2014
The Lakers as a whole looked far more focused on defense and the effort was there, but there were still some noticeable issues that the Lakers will need to solve.
Containing penetration especially from the point guard position where Steve Nash was blown by on numerous occasions. Scott also mentioned rebounding, as the Lakers allowed the Nuggets to collect 13 offensive rebounds which is far more than they would like to see regularly.
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There were some bright spots as the effort on that end was far different than previous years resulting in plenty of steals and deflections. New Laker Ed Davis also showed some rim protection ability, blocking four shots.
The Lakers may still be far away from where Scott wants them to be, but it is evident that the foundation has been laid down for some serious defensive improvement.
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