This is something they are trying to address though as head coach JJ Redick revealed that they had a very physical and competitive practice session on Monday. When Reaves was asked about that, he talked about the Lakers wanting to be more physical defensively moving forward and forcing the referees’ hands a bit. “I think if you watch basketball for a long time, the teams that are ‘physical defensive teams’ might get away with a little more just because every possession you can’t call a foul,” Reaves said. “So we’re trying to get to that where we’re physical every possession and we have to make the refs call fouls. Our personnel, if we’re honest with ourselves, isn’t the best defensively. Obviously we got AD that covers up a lot, but we have to be physical out on the perimeter and especially when we’re boxing out. We got to do a better job defensively in transition as well.” -via Lakers Nation / November 25, 2024
