Max Christie explains how the Lakers can improve defensive communication

More than a quarter of the 2024-25 season is behind us and teams are starting to get a sense of their true identities. For the Los Angeles Lakers, this represents a harsh realization about their defense. And that leaves everyone from head coach JJ Redick to superstar Anthony Davis to role players like Max Christie searching for answers.

Heading into Friday’s games, the Lakers have the 26th-ranked defense in the NBA. That puts them in fifth-worst place, with only the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards behind them. The Lakers are the only team in the bottom 10 with a record over .500, suggesting their record may be a bit inflated.

Everyone at the Lakers has tried to address this issue. Some theories attribute it to a sheer lack of effort in that regard, while others say it’s because the Lakers are missing some of their key defensive players. However, Christie’s theory delves into the Lakers’ personalities and how they can lead to communication issues on defense.

“First, it’s about watching film as a team, and second, we just need to talk more,” Christie said. “I know we’ve talked about it as a team, a lot of the guys on our team just like their personalities, they’re not big talkers. We are not very sociable, we are not extroverts. So this is a challenge for us that we have accepted and will work on.

“We worked on it a lot in training today. Certain guys weren’t talking as much and we were attacking them a lot more in coverages and pick-and-rolls and just generally talking when we’re on defense or offense. So for us it’s just a small challenge that we have to overcome, but it’s not something we can physically handle. For us it’s just a decision to talk more and work together as a team.”

Communication has been a consistent topic of conversation for the Lakers this season. But this appears to be the first time the Lakers have actually tried to figure out why. And while personality types are difficult to overcome, LA seems to be working to curb these issues.

JJ Redick stresses the importance of the Lakers’ communication

The Lakers have been in a very difficult phase in recent weeks. The team has lost seven of its last ten games and was eliminated in many of those games while often appearing disinterested and lethargic, much to the dismay of head coach JJ Redick.

Redick and the Lakers coaching staff have worked hard to solve the problems this team struggles with on the court, but it hasn’t yet come to fruition. Similar to Max Christie, Redick believes many of the Lakers’ defensive problems stem from the need to communicate better.