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Los Angeles Lakers: Three realistic goals for 2018-2019

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 05: Head coach Luke Walton talks with Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Staples Center on January 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 05: Head coach Luke Walton talks with Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half of a game against the Charlotte Hornets at Staples Center on January 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. Be one of the most physical defenses in the league

The Los Angeles Lakers should be great at quite a few things next season. Scoring the basketball should be no problem; the team has two great distributors to run the offense in Lonzo Ball and LeBron James and has scorers around them as well.

While the media has painted the narrative that the Lakers do not have good three-point shooting, in fact, they do. Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are all rejoining the team with a three-point prowess. Add in rookies Moritz Wagner and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and veteran forward Michael Beasley and the Lakers are in good shape.

Despite not having a great center on the team, the Lakers are still going to be pretty good in rebounding the basketball. Although LA lost Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball is one of the best rebounding guards in the league and they added LeBron James, who is good for close to a triple-double every single night.

However, the lack of a true center hurts the area in which the Lakers are the worst: defensively. Not only are the Lakers bad in defending the interior, the team is not fantastic in transition and can be exposed off-ball and against bigger lineups.

The one knock on LeBron is that he is only a good defender when he truly wants to be and has proven to be a mediocre defender at best in a year-long sample size.

Because of this lack of true defensive merit, the Los Angeles Lakers should look to play a physical style of basketball that is not common in today’s game. Lance Stephenson will be a huge help in setting that tone and the likes of James, Hart and JaVale McGee will likely be the first to follow.

The Lakers do not have to be perfect on defense. However, a physical style of play should be enough with their scoring ability.

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