Lakers' defense is still a work in progress, but forcing turnovers is already a strength

The Lakers have not yet built the defense they talked about in training camp, but one part of it is already among the best in the league. Through nine games they ranked second in the NBA in defensive turnover percentage at 18.8, behind only Toronto's 19.1, according to the New York Post.

The numbers have held up from night to night. Los Angeles forced at least 14 turnovers in each of its first nine games and 16 or more in seven of them. Those extra possessions have fed what the Post calls the league's best offense: the Lakers lead the NBA with 23.4 points per game off turnovers and came into Friday fourth in steals.

The Post noted that the turnovers are not coming from gambling. Los Angeles ranked eighth in half-court defense, which suggests the pressure is coming from inside the scheme rather than from players leaving their spots to jump passing lanes. Coach JJ Redick has asked for that balance, saying his players can be defensive playmakers by running the team's defense rather than gambling. Austin Reaves credited a group of wings, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia and Quentin Grimes among them, for being in the right place. Center Walker Kessler, who predicted in the preseason that this group would be nasty on defense, read the early numbers as a sign of potential. "It shows that we have a lot of potential," Kessler told the Post.

The pattern continued Friday in a 124-118 NBA Cup win over Portland. The Trail Blazers led by as many as 16 in the first half before the Lakers rallied, and Sports Illustrated counted eight turnovers for Deni Avdija and five for Scoot Henderson, who had no assists.

The Post was also clear about what still needs work. Defensive rebounding has been a problem, especially when Kessler sits, and the Lakers' own giveaways have handed opponents easy baskets. Turnover rate alone does not make an elite defense, but it tends to come with one: six of last season's top 12 defensive teams were also top 12 in forcing turnovers, and seven of 12 were the year before.

What it means in Detroit

The Lakers take an 8-2 record and a four-game winning streak into Sunday's game against the Pistons. Since losing 112-95 at Golden State, they have beaten Toronto 131-125, Miami 138-117, Sacramento 116-103 and Portland. The scoring has been steady, but so have the points allowed. Three of those four opponents scored at least 117, and the Lakers have given up 117 or more in six of their 10 games.

That is the tension the Post described. Turnovers have kept the Lakers ahead in high-scoring games, and Friday they made up a 16-point deficit. Their two losses, 136-129 at home to Portland and the 17-point defeat at Golden State, were the nights the opponent scored freely or the offense stalled. On the road in Detroit, Los Angeles will need its usual run of steals and deflections, and it will need to finish possessions with rebounds so it does not give up second chances.