For the second season in a row, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to finish the regular season in the middle of the pack in terms of defensive rating. Last season, they finished 13th overall and this season, they’re ranked 15th.
However, there was a point in the season where they were a top-five defensive team and Tyson Chandler was a big reason for that. In the 10 games before Chandler signed with the Lakers, they were ranked 23rd in the league in defensive rating. In the following 30 games, they had a top-three ranked defense.