"I think it’s more angry," LA Lakers' coach Byron Scott responded to whether he felt more angry or frustrated about the team's lack of defense through five games, all of which were losses.
Scott said the team suffered more from a "lack of focus" than a "lack of effort," and that was something Scott discussed with his players.
"I'm not angry," Scott clarified that, overall, he was not angered by what he had seen over the first five games. "The biggest thing with me right now…is that I see progress, from game one to game five. We played some really good basketball teams."
Defense, transition defense in particular, has been a point of focus for Scott since taking over the Lakers, and the coach beat that same drum on Thursday after practice. However, the coach was not satisfied with simply competing and losing games.
"I want to win games," Scott expressed clearly. "Any win is a win. I don't care who it’s against."
Scott said the mood in the locker room remained positive on the whole, as the team faces a prolonged stretch of practicing without games. After playing five games in first seven days of the season, the Lakers do not play until Sunday night against the Charlotte Hornets.
"I'm just ready to go. I’m just itching," Kobe Bryant said on Thursday. "These four days couldn't come at a worse time."
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Bryant played over 44 minutes in the Lakers' loss Tuesday night and scored 39 points in the process. Still the 36-year-old was not happy about the time off. Scott said that the day after the loss, Bryant shot the ball for 30 minutes and told the coach he was ready to practice.
Wednesday, however, was a film day.
"I felt fine, actually," Bryant intimated how his body felt the day after playing extended minutes against Phoenix. "I felt pretty good."
Worth mentioning, Bryant leads the NBA in scoring with 27.6 points per game.
