Heading into Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers were the heavy favorite. This loss exposed some critical cracks in their offensive armor. The Lakers specifically missed an opportunity to capitalize on Luka Doncic’s beautiful passing. Yet, they could only turn one of eight attempts into goals from his setups. That historically bad shooting night led ESPN Research to take a closer look at what needs to improve as the series moves on.
After the game, Lakers guard Austin Reaves sounded the alarm on what he called “uncharacteristic problems.” He emphasized that the squad needed to approach every possession with surgical precision. This newfound awareness will allow them to stop making the same mistakes in games to come.
Acknowledging their failures, the Lakers took a different approach by hosting a live practice on Monday in an effort to sharpen their offensive execution. Coach JJ Redick described the practice as “the best practice we’ve had in months.” His statement sings with a new song of rigorous discipline and implementation. He cited a lack of structure as the cause for the team’s miscues and failures. He thinks that being more disciplined in practice will result in a more disciplined approach during games.
Beyond just the stat sheet, the Lakers were highly focused on their lackluster defense in a film session that took place Sunday afternoon. As I noted in the preview against the Wolves, they had incredible success with corner three-pointers, making nine of them in Game 1. This stat represented the highest total for Minnesota in a game this year. The 23 corner threes on their own set a record for the most any team has made in a playoff game since the 2013-14 season (GeniusIQ). Thus, the Lakers began to fall into the trap of running at shooters—especially on the kick-out pass. In doing so, they provided an average distance of 8.6 feet between the attackers and the closest defender.
Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith admitted the struggle on his own offensive end detracted from what he could do defensively. He managed just three points on 1-for-5 shooting in that first game. Finney-Smith underlined the importance of improving defense as a unit. He noted that it starts with containing otherworld talent such as Naz Reid, who had a ridiculous performance in Game 1 — 23 points on 6-for-9 from 3-point range.
Reaves said there is plenty of room for improvement, calling the deficit a “wake-up call.” He admitted that the staff needs to come out with a greater sense of urgency and discipline on a possession-by-possession basis.
“We just have to do a lot of things better, and it starts with playing harder and being organized.” – Austin Reaves
Furthermore, Jazz killer Luka Doncic had one of his worst postseason games on record. He finished with only one assist in Game 1. This figure has been well below his amazing career postseason average of 7.8 assists per game. This deficit further illustrated the Lakers’ struggles in adapting to both his playmaking and the Wolves’ offensive schemes.
As this series continues, the Lakers will find a chance to bounce back on their stronghold, crypto.com arena. Reaves remained hopeful that they can just right all their wrongs, saying, “Hopefully we can just right our wrongs.”
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