The Los Angeles Lakers suffered one of their worst losses of the season tonight, as the Houston Rockets embarrassed them on Christmas Day with a 119-96 win. The Lakers struggled on defense throughout the entire night, failing to contain any Rockets player. After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was not pleased and directly called out his players.

“Too often we have guys that don’t want to make that choice,” Redick explained to the media in the postgame conference. “It’s pretty consistent who those guys are. And so, Saturday’s practice, I told the guys, it’s going to be uncomfortable… I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”

Tonight marked LA’s third defeat in a row, all of which have been by margins greater than 15 points. Tonight, the Rockets had six players score more than double digits, and let both Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant drop 25+ points each.

Heading into the game, the Lakers carried the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league at 118.7, with every other team in the top nine being the #10 seed or lower in their conference. The only other playoff team with a bottom-10 defensive rating is the Denver Nuggets at 116.9, who still carry a +8.8 net rating from having, by far and away, the best offensive rating in the league at 125.7.

Los Angeles usually has enough offense to get by, but things haven’t been going well lately, especially with Austin Reaves in-and-out of the lineup. Without Reaves, the team loses its secondary creator next to Luka Doncic, and he has been slow to return to form following a return from a calf strain after missing three games.

Tonight, the injury seemingly flared up again. Reaves ended up sitting out the second half of the game, and that’s when the damage was done. After halftime, the Rockets outscored the Lakers 58-43, completely burying them.

The Los Angeles Lakers need to zero in on defense-first targets

JJ Redick isn’t the only one who has realized that the Lakers need more defensive pieces to stay afloat. Sam Vecenie, a writer for The Athletic, recently pointed out several key targets that are achievable for the Lakers: solid defensive role players who can contribute when their number is called.

One name drawing attention is Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams. Injuries have derailed his once promising All-Defensive-caliber career with the Boston Celtics, but the big man’s upside, as well as a $13.3 million expiring deal, make him an intriguing player.

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He’s still an elite rim finisher, a disruptive defender, and a smart passer, someone who provides a significant upgrade from Jaxson Hayes as a DeAndre Ayton backup.

On the perimeter, there are several candidates. Toronto Raptors guard Ochai Agbaji has fallen out of the rotation on his team, but his two-way flashes are viable enough for a team to give his $6.3 million contract a chance. Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis is another piece, someone who can hit an open three while bringing hounding point-of-attack defense.

The Chicago Bulls‘ Ayo Dosunmu is maybe the best option in terms of production. He’s a low-usage guard who scores efficiently, passes well, defends with purpose, and thrives off-ball, and at just $7.5 million, he fits LA’s financial restraint and their need for defensive reliability.