NBA – Darvin Ham’s change of major five, with Jarred Vanderbilt replacing D’Angelo Russell, has yet to prove effective.
“We chose to rely on defence.” That’s how Darvin Ham justified his change of major five a few days ago, without a natural playmaker, benching D’Angelo Russell in favour of Jarred Vanderbilt. After two games, against Oklahoma City and Boston, the Lakers have one win and one loss.
But their defensive record is far from good, the very point the coach wanted to emphasise. As well as another: the start of games. “We think the fact that we’re a bit bigger on the outside and more athletic gives us a chance to take the lead,” added the coach.
With 39 points conceded against the Thunder in the first quarter, then 32 against Boston, including a 12-0 run to start the game, the expected effect has yet to be felt. And with an average of 123 points in those two games, things aren’t really looking good…
“We need to concentrate on defence,” says Anthony Davis for OCR. “We’re not really a team that switches, that changes defensively, but we have to do it with our formation. We can do it. There are communication problems. Offensively, everything’s going well, but we need to do better defensively.
“Communication is the basis of everything”.
Jarred Vanderbilt confirms his team-mate’s observation, particularly when it comes to the difficulties in transition. “It’s basically a question of communication. We changed the whole defence without any training, so it’s difficult. We were thrown in like that and we need to find the answers during the game,” he asserts.
The Lakers were able to practise before hosting the Hornets on Thursday evening. A “good training session”, said Vanderbilt. And with Charlotte one of the worst offenses in the league, there’s a good opportunity to step up.
“The lack of communication is the only thing that can stop us maximising what we have on the pitch,” said Darvin Ham. “It starts in transition. The players pass each other, they talk to each other to find out where the defensive help is, to try and block on the rebound. Communication is the basis of everything.
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