Lakers labeled ‘fringe’ contenders by four-time NBA champion Warriors forward originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
While some may think it’s too early to differentiate between contenders and pretenders, the four-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors forward didn’t hesitate to name the team that has at least a chance to win a championship this year.
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In the 35-year-old’s opinion, Luka Doncic’s Los Angeles Lakers are a “fringe” contender heading into January.
“I still think the (Denver) Nuggets are a contender,” Draymond Green said on his podcast on Monday.
“I still think the (Oklahoma City) Thunder are obviously a contender. The Lakers, they’re a fringe team. If they can’t figure out the defensive end, you can’t compete. But if they can figure out the defensive end, we know they have the offensive firepower. But they have to figure out the defense.”
Whether Lakers fans like it or not, Green is right.
The Lakers’ inability to develop a defensive identity is the main reason they are a complete team. When a team’s three stars are below-average defenders, contending for a championship in April is going to be a challenge.
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Luka Doncic doesn’t move laterally fast enough to stay in front of crafty defenders, Austin Reeves does a poor job executing counterattacks after the ball is stolen, and LeBron James simply isn’t giving his best effort on that end of the court.
Fortunately, Los Angeles has had time to change up their defense and work on becoming a solid defensive team.
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