The Los Angeles Lakers have clearly cemented themselves as one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season. But while it's apparent that there's a gap between the Lake Show and the majority of the West, it's also becoming increasingly obvious that this team needs a stronger overall defensive presence in order for it to become a team truly worthy of a championship.
Over the course of the summer, the Lakers made additions that served to upgrade their process on both sides of the ball. Bringing in Marcus Smart was certainly a strong move when it came to adding point of attack defenders that could take a load off Luka Doncic, but Smart alone isn't enough to offset the rest of LA's defensive deficiencies.