The Los Angeles Lakers are an even .500 after the first 10 games of the season, picking up their play drastically over the last two weeks. They’ve won three of their last four outings, looking like an actual professional basketball organization as the group jells at a rapid pace. It’s a stark contrast to previous seasons.
Much of the talk surrounding the team Lakers’ early-season performance has been about pace, but everything comes back to defense for head coach Luke Walton. Anyone who’s been listening to the message coming out of Los Angeles knows this, and Walton likes what he sees brewing from his squad so far.