The Los Angeles Lakers’ season record stands at seven wins and three losses through their first ten games.
Their latest setback came against the Atlanta Hawks, where they fell 122-102.
The other two losses came in the season opener to the Golden State Warriors and later on against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Luka Doncic posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 assists against Atlanta, but Austin Reaves was sidelined due to a groin injury following his impressive start to the campaign.
Hawks’ defensive game plan puts the brakes on Lakers’ attack
But Atlanta’s win was not just about missing Reaves. Even without one of LA’s top scorers, the Hawks put together a clear game plan that gave the Lakers plenty of trouble offensively.
The Hawks went with a positionless defensive scheme, switching across all positions to keep LA’s playmakers in check. It was especially noticeable in how they handled Doncic.
While Dyson Daniels drew the main assignment, center Onyeka Okongwu also spent considerable time matched up with the Slovenian star throughout the night.
On the other end, Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu often found themselves paired against DeAndre Ayton, with Okongwu taking on the more traditional role.
The frequent switches were not just reactionary – they fit right into Atlanta’s willingness to play through mismatches. And it worked: they held LA to a season-low 102 points on 45.7% shooting through their first 10 games.
DeAndre Ayton acknowledges the switching defence that exposes a weakness in the LA Lakers
Ayton spoke after the game about how this defensive approach is not new to them, highlighting how it has been effective before, mentioning Portland as another team that used it successfully.
“They have sizes over there, dudes can switch one through five. That’s what they really did. Everything’s with pace and aggression.
“That’s something we’re used to seeing, but they’re one of the teams for sure like Portland that can really switch one through five with all their like sizes and really get their offense going off of just having stops on defense,” he said.
Although not every team is built like Atlanta or Portland in terms of size and switching ability, there are signs that the Lakers may find it difficult to break down defences when facing teams who play similarly.
JJ Redick needs to find answers for this kind of defence if LA want to have any title hopes this year. If more teams use this approach in high-stakes playoff games, where every mismatch is exploited, it could spell trouble for their title chances.
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