Former NBA star Kendrick Perkins did not think that the Los Angeles Lakers were title contenders this season. The Purple and Gold were lambasted by the player-turned-analyst as he offered their best-chance scenario.
The Lakers are currently placed fifth in the West with a 33-21 record. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and headed into the All-Star break with a 124-104 win against the Dallas Mavericks.
Kendrick Perkins Drops Blunt Take on the Lakers’ Championship Hopes
Speaking on ESPN’s “First Take,” Kendrick Perkins minced no words when he called out the Los Angeles Lakers‘ run this season and their ceiling. “You’ve got to be able to defend,” Perkins said. “The Lakers have one of the best offensive teams right now, but guess what? They can’t guard senior citizens at recess.”
“They are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. They have a big that complain every day in DeAndre Ayton, you look at his numbers and think cause he has a double-double, but that’s fool’s gold! So if you ask me if this team can go out and compete, their ceiling is the second round.”
The Lakers have struggled on defense this season. They are 18th in scoring defense, allowing 116.0 points on average. They are near the bottom of the list in field goal% defense, allowing 48.6 points per game, and are 21st in 3-point% defense, conceding 36.4% of opponents’ 3s.
The issues have been glaring. The Lakers lack point-of-attack defense and elite wing defenders. Ayton has blown hot and cold this season, and the rest of the roster has been inconsistent on that end of the floor.
As it stands, this is the roster head coach JJ Redick has at his disposal. Should their star trio of LeBron James, Luka Dončić, and Austin Reaves stay healthy and the entire team plays lockdown defense, the Lakers stand a chance of perhaps making the second round, as Perkins claimed.
The Lakers return to action with a three-game homestand starting Friday. They play crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, followed by the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic.
Ahead of the Clippers skirmish, the Lakers were handed a massive boost in the form of Dončić’s return. The mercurial guard missed the last four games for the side with a hamstring injury. He was not listed on the team’s injury report, making him a certainty to play the new-look Clippers outfit.
