They saw how “contagious” it was when playing defense at a high level against the Suns and how Jarred Vanderbilt lit the fuse to ignite things for the Lakers in their last victory over Phoenix.
And for the Lakers to maintain that defensive mindset, stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James also have to be committed to that end of the court.
That was the message from Lakers coach JJ Redick to Doncic and James.
“Yeah, it was good,” Doncic said. “We talked about a lot, not just that, but he was right.