“We all gotta take responsibility on that and we gotta be better. And we will be.” Following Monday’s blowout loss against the Spurs, JJ Redick boldly vowed to work on the Lakers’ “atrocious” defense. He kept his word the following game by getting a win against the Heat. And the LA franchise won another one last night against the Nets. However, JJ did not seem too thrilled about the close victory and blasted his squad’s defensive effort once again, exposing Rob Pelinka’s major shortcomings.

Well, everyone except LeBron James and Austin Reaves!

After barely coming out with a one-point victory, Redick said post-game, “I didn’t think we were sharp at all defensively in the second half. There were too many lapses, too many non-contests.” Yes, the Lakers initially had a comfortable lead, thanks to LeBron and Reaves’ scoring outburst. But they weren’t able to contain the Brooklyn franchise on the defensive end, who kept sinking threes after threes to keep themselves in the game.

Had it not been for D’Angelo Russell missing the game-winning shot, JJ’s squad would have faced another defeat because of their lackluster defense. Of course, the head coach credited LBJ and AR15 for saving the day, after slamming the remaining 16 players on the roster: “Thought both him and LeBron just willed us to win. We weren’t very good tonight… a lot of credit to those two guys.”

Obviously, James did what he always does and went off for 29 points and eight assists. But the Lakers still needed another player to step up because Anthony Davis was unavailable due to a foot injury. Lo-and-behold, Austin Reaves took charge! Yes, he scored a career-high 38 points and stole the show. However, JJ highlighting the Lakers’ defensive struggles twice in one week only reiterates that Rob Pelinka has failed to attract elite defensive players in the trade market.

Sure, the GM pulled off the Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton move, but his team still needs a big man who can protect the paint. Maybe, someone like Nikola Vučević or Cameron Johnson. And while AR and LBJ’s epic performance saved the Lakers this time, they either need to make a trade or get AD back to fix the bigger issue.

JJ Redick gives major update about Anthony Davis’ return ahead of Clippers clash

Well, a key reason for their defensive struggles was the unavailability of Davis. Apart from his offensive prowess, he has also been a defensive anchor for the team, averaging 2.1 blocks and nearly twelve rebounds. But the big man was out last night because of a lingering foot injury, deemed left plantar fasciitis.

It goes without saying, the Lakers need him back if they want to improve on defense and not hear criticism from Redick again. And the head coach is hopeful about AD’s availability for Sunday’s Clippers encounter. When asked if Davis will play this weekend, JJ Redick said, “My assumption is, yes. He went through his pregame and had some soreness in that foot and out of an abundance of caution, we held him out tonight.”

Laker Nation would be praying for the superstar’s recovery because the Clippers will pose a much bigger challenge than the Nets did last night. Especially with Kawhi Leonard back. Meanwhile, Pelinka needs to work on improving the roster before the February deadline. Who do you think he should pursue?