Add The California Post on Google In the immediate aftermath of his team’s 2025-26 season ending, Lakers coach JJ Redick clearly and plainly laid out one of the biggest points of emphasis for 2026-27.
“We clearly need to have a better overall season defensively,” Redick said in May.
The Lakers were coming off a regular season in which they ranked No. 18 defensively despite ranking No. 12 in the second half of the season.
“We had flashes of that,” Redick added. “I have said this numerous times: Our improvement defensively is a big credit to our staff, [assistant coaches] Bob [Beyer] and Greg [St. Jean], and the work they did in film and in walk-throughs. But we gotta do better defensively.”
And after their offseason roster reconstruction, the Lakers will be better defensively in 2026-27 than they were last season despite external narratives that state the contrary.
The heart of their improved defense will come from the marquee addition of Walker Kessler, who already showed in his first four seasons in the NBA with the Jazz that he’s one of the league’s premier rim protectors.
It’s universally accepted throughout the NBA that the Lakers should be a better rim protecting team (they finished second-to-last in defensive field goal percentage at the rim in 2025-26) with Kessler starting at center instead of Deandre Ayton.
But it’s been their perimeter defense that has been questioned.
Despite losing Marcus Smart, who was the team’s best defender last season, the Lakers actually improved their point-of-attack defense significantly.
Smart may be a better perimeter defender than anyone currently on the Lakers, but the issue with last season’s team was the lack of strong perimeter defenders behind him.
Not only did the Lakers keep their second- and third-best perimeter defenders from last season’s team in Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia, but Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams are all upgrades over most of the team’s perimeter defense options in 2025-26.
They may not have the All-Defensive team caliber perimeter defender, but Redick will have more options at his disposal to build a credible defense in front of Kessler and around star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
The Lakers not only should have be at least an average defensive team, but they have the potential to be above average on that end of the floor for the first time in a few years.
A significant reason why the Lakers should be a better defensive team next season won’t just be because they’re better equipped to contain ball handlers.
Or even funnel plays to Kessler for him to shut down.
It’ll also come from their improved ability to generate turnovers after being average in that area last season.
Williams and Thybulle will be especially helpful in this area.
Thybulle’s 2 steals per game last season was tied for the second-most in the league with Hawks wing Dyson Daniels and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson among players who appeared in at least 20 regular season games despite averaging just 16 minutes.
He led the league in steals (4.5) and deflections (8.7) per 36 minutes in 2025–26 among players who appeared in at least 20 games.
Williams led the Nets in deflections per 36 minutes in 2024-25 (3.9) and 2025-26 (4.9), and averaged a career-high 1.4 steals last season.
And with Kessler on the backline, the Lakers will be able to afford to be more aggressive with their perimeter defenders compared to last season.
The offensive rebounding from Kessler and Kevon Looney will also help generate more possessions for the Lakers.
Another one of Redick’s desired areas of improvement was the collective ability to drive, dribble and pass.
With Doncic and Reaves still on the team, the Lakers are already starting from a great place.
But the additions of Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili will uplift the collective’s abilities to excel in these areas.
As should development from LaRavia and additions of Cameron Carr.
