Although the very shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday by five points, one member of the coaching staff feels there’s a reason for optimism.
David Fizdale feels that the team’s offense has taken a step forward, at least for now.
Fiz on what he liked from our offense tonight.
"I think what the team really wrapped their mind around was how much they need to move the ball to be a good offensive team."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) December 20, 2021
More Fiz on tonight's offensive philosophy
"You have to rely on the guy next to you (without AD)…but the ball movement I was really happy with and they really bought into that."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) December 20, 2021
Fizdale is normally an assistant coach, but with head coach Frank Vogel (and several players) in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Fizdale was the bench leader for the Lakers in the Windy City.
Although L.A.’s defense has gradually improved this season, its offense has continued to be highly inefficient. Coming into Sunday’s game, the team was only 24th in offensive rating.
One criticism of the Lakers’ half-court offense has been the lack of ball and player movement, but they did look better in both areas against Chicago.
They managed to shoot 51.2 percent from the field and had a solid 25 assists on Sunday.
But the bone of contention was turnovers. L.A. gave the ball up 19 times, and it almost singlehandedly led to the 115-110 loss.
LeBron James and Russell Westbrook both played well, while new addition Isaiah Thomas again gave the Lakers a lift in his second game with them.
L.A. will head home to face the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, then it will go up against the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day.
