The Los Angeles Lakers are in dire need of help on the court and their 1-7 record is not something fans wanted to see to start the season. Kobe Bryant is doing what he can to keep this team in contention, but he is not getting enough help on the offensive end and the team in general is slacking on defense.
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Los Angeles fell to the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night, 109-102 after a dismal performance in the second half. Coach Byron Scott pointed the blame on the defense and called it the worst he’s seen from his team thus far this season. Luckily, the coaching staff will be getting Nick Young back into the lineup soon and he can certainly make an immediate impact on the court via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Nick Young: “Tuesday is my goal. And I have a lot to prove.” (on @TWCSportsNet)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 13, 2014
Nick Young: “It feels great, for real. I don’t want to jinx it or something. But honestly I feel like I could so a lot out there.” (on TWC)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 13, 2014
Young is not known for his defensive prowess, but he does have the ability to take some of the load off of Kobe. Bryant has been the main contributor on offense and with Young’s uncanny knack of scoring, Kobe can focus more on defense as there is another player who can create his own shot.
Nevertheless, the Lakers are slowly creating an insurmountable hole in the Western Conference playoff standings with losses like this. The team is coming off a tough defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, where errors down the stretch of the game cost the team the victory. If the Lakers want to make a push for the eighth seed in the conference, they cannot take nights off and having subpar defensive performances like the one against the Pelicans.
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