The Lakers have been handling slow-paced offenses pretty well this year, but their defense against fast-paced set plays has been poor since their game against the Raptors was exposed. They're not as strong at controlling the pace, relying more on the opponents to consciously slow down, but the Phoenix Suns definitely won't play at a slow pace.
Zhang Hao faced a challenge right from the start, trying to defend Kidd without Campbell and O'Neal unable to play. The paint became like a backyard for Sibaros under Kidd's organization. Zhang Hao returned to the basket to protect it, but outside, Kidd had plenty of space to organize the offense, and the Suns had two shooters on the perimeter.
Before the season started, everyone on the Lakers thought they were in for a joyous basketball journey with easy wins.
They then realized their regular-season strength wasn't as strong as last season.
