How the L.A. Lakers Can Make the NBA Playoffs

The Lakers are in a tough spot coming down the stretch of the NBA season. They are currently outside of the top eight in the west, and if you follow basketball, that means they aren't in the playoff picture. The Lakers haven't made the playoffs in the past several years, but missing the playoffs when you have LeBron James on your team is something that hasn't happened since his second year in the NBA. There are some people who have written the Lakers off already, but the Lakers still have a shot to squeeze into the playoffs. But, things need to change and in a hurry.

Defense and Effort

What needs to change the most if the Lakers want to even sniff the playoffs is their defense. The Lakers have struggled on defense for the better part of the season, but since the all-star break, it has been even more of an eyesore. Since February 21 (when the all-star break ended), the Lakers have allowed 60 points per game in the paint. That is second worst in the NBA during that span. For the season, they have allowed 51 points in the paint, which is ranked 23rd in the NBA. With known shot blockers like JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler, you'd think their interior defense would be much better.

Overall on the season, the Lakers give up 113 points per game which ranks 23rd in the league. There have been many instances where the Lakers lack of defense has gotten them into deep holes during games. The lack of communication and the finger pointing are some of the other things one can attribute to L.A.'s defensive shortcomings.

You could credit their bad defense to a lack of effort, mainly from LeBron himself. LeBron has been known to "coast" throughout the season, but the number of "defensive lapses" he has had this season has been up. James has been allowing open shots and failing to get back fast enough on defense, which puts his teammates in a compromising position on the other side of the floor. Now LeBron can play defense if he chooses to, but in order for the Lakers to get into the playoffs, he needs to play defense. If the leader of the team is slacking on the defensive side, how can he expect his young core to give maximum effort on defense? If LeBron can be as much of a leader on the defensive end as he is on the offensive end, it will greatly improve the Lakers' chances of getting to the playoffs.

LeBron has seemed to welcome the challenge on the defensive side saying "Hey, just come on with it… We’ll see what happens." Maybe LeBron can activate that "playoff mode" completely, showing playoff intensity on the defensive side for the rest of the season.

Chemistry

The Lakers' chemistry is still in the healing process after the Anthony Davis situation. With a good majority of the young core's names being swirled around in those trade rumors, and knowing LeBron James maybe had a role in that has definitely hurt the chemistry and it has shown on the court.

It's been well after the trade deadline and the chemistry still seems to be on shaky ground. Jame's comments calling out his teammates' sense of urgency might've worked on a veteran-heavy team like last year's Cavs, but not with this young Lakers team. It seems like their chemistry is slowly getting back to what it was early in the season, with LeBron dancing at practice and laughing with teammates as well.

However, they need to work out their differences, because their chemistry or lack thereof will be the thing that could derail their playoff push. Chemistry issues lead to on the court issues, like miscommunications on defense, or failing to make the right pass on offense and with one of the toughest schedules remaining in the season, the Lakers have to be on the same page in order to make the postseason.

One big thing that can also help the Lakers is getting Lonzo Ball back from injury. He is still recovering from that grade three ankle sprain he suffered in the middle of January, and reports say he needs at least one more week of rehab. Being their best perimeter defender, Ball can help the defensive woes the Lakers currently have, along with giving them an offensive boost as well.

The Lakers have their work cut out for them, as getting into the Western Conference playoffs won't be easy. However, if they can fix up their defense and effort, along with regaining that chemistry that had them fourth in the west earlier in the season, the Lakers have a good shot of getting in the playoffs.