Lakers rumors: Three reasons to love the idea of Tony Allen
By Keith Rivas
His defensive ability and effort can be contagious
It’s not that the Lakers need a new winning culture, they’ve got plenty of that to go around. However, an area that this young core can grow in collectively is on the defensive side of the ball.
Although not a top team in the league, the Grizzlies have found ways to make the playoffs the last few seasons thanks in large part to ferocious defense. Allen leads the charge on occasion, showing that he can be that fearless defender nobody wants a piece of.
Imagining what he could do for the whole unit on the other side of the ball is a great thing to see. All the young Lakers would need to do is have a similar mentality to Allen on defense and they’ll be back in the playoffs in no time.
The offensive talent is there, as it’s been a large part of why the Lakers have drafted the way that they have. But that doesn’t automatically bring good defensive play with it.
Out of the whole core, Ivica Zubac and Brandon Ingram would benefit the most from a potential defensive mastermind. Both have the size and stature to be a monster problem for opposing teams if the skill set is there.
And the Lakers want to win sooner than later, so why not work on it while you still can?