JJ Redick Asked LeBron James, Luka For More Defensive Effort in Team Meeting

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has asked for more defensive effort from LeBron James and Luka Dončić, per comments the latter player made to reporters on Wednesday.

The 18-7 Lakers sit tied for third in the Western Conference with the San Antonio Spurs, just a game behind the Denver Nuggets.

They're looking great so far with Dončić dominating the league thanks to 34.7 points, 8.8 assists, 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

The Lakers' run has been all the more impressive considering that James missed the first 14 games with sciatica on his right side. He's back in the lineup now, and the team has gone 7-2 with James on the court.

If there's one area where the Lakers need to improve going forward, though, it's on the defensive end. L.A. is just 20th in defensive rating, per Basketball-Reference.

As good as this offense can be, especially with LeBron and Luka and Austin Reaves enjoying a breakout season that should feature an All-Star Game appearance, the defense has let the team down at times.

Simply put, the defense as constituted isn't going to hold up well against other top Western Conference teams. The top six in the Western Conference also consists of the Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 5 in offensive rating), the Denver Nuggets (No. 1), the Spurs (No. 8), the Houston Rockets (No. 3) and Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 6).

So the Lakers have to get better on that end and soon. In the meantime, their three-day break ends Wednesday, and they'll continue their road trip Thursday when the visit the Utah Jazz.