The Lakeshow Review

A dedicated space to all things Lakers Basketball

recent posts

about

  • Shorthanded Lakers Falter In Portland

    We are dangerously infringing on ‘panic button’ territory, but not quite there yet.

    The Lakers continued their rocky New Year tonight, as they travelled to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers on the first night of a back to back (they’ll play the Toronto Raptors tomorrow at Crypto). LA is in the midst of a bad skid, having gone 1-4 in the five games leading up to the contest. The team continues to be hampered by injuries, with guys constantly fluctuating in and out of the rotation, and Austin Reaves continuing to miss time due to a calf strain. Luka Dončić sat out the game due to groin discomfort. As a result LeBron James was left to fend off, alongside the likes of Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura. The Blazers, playing shorthanded themselves (sans top star Deni Avdija), still managed to smoke the Lakers by a final of 132-116. The Purple and Gold are in flux, and will have to look inward to make any sort of improvements and dig themselves out of their current ditch. With the trade deadline still weeks away, and Reaves not slated to return until around the same time, the Lakers will have to demand more out of each other with their current group in order to regain their footing in the standings and continue navigating through the season.

    The Blazers got their offense into gear early on, often putting the Lakers’ defense in precarious positions. They punished LAs over-aggressive off-ball defense with backdoor cuts and were also able to get them scrambling in transition, where the Lakers are slow-footed. Shaedon Sharpe had a game-high 25 points, while Jerami Grant and Caleb Lowe each chipped in with 22. Portland were also keen on putting Lakers big man Maxi Kleber in constant ball screen defense, as LA was missing regular starter Deandre Ayton due to left knee soreness. Kleber’s lack of footspeed (or any meaningful defensive skills for that matter) was evident, as he was consistently beat by the Blazers roll man (in most cases Donovan Clingan, who scored 18 points and 11 rebounds). The Lakers pick-and-roll defense has taken a step back as of late, but with Kleber logging significant minutes, this task proved more than monumental tonight.

    LA lost on most hustle statistics, getting decimated at the glass 42 rebounds to 27, as well as points in the paint, 52-46, as the team generally had a rough time keeping Portland away from the basket. Marcus Smart had a solid outing, and his 25 points paced the team. G-League call-up Drew Timme was a pleasant surprise, scoring 21 points to lead all Lakers reserves. LeBron James however, had a disappointing night, scoring just 20 points on just 16 shots. In a game ripe for at the very least a dignified stat-padding showcase in order to save face, LeBron was far from the best player on the court. Or even the team. At $56M, I just don’t see how his game translates into winning games at this point. The Lakers are 13-10 with LeBron James this season, this after starting the year 10-4 without him. They even went on a 8-2 stretch during James’ first couple of games back, as he was still getting his legs back. But the more that LeBron has “asserted” himself into the offense, the less the team has been winning. As I’ve written before, the Lakers are in dire need to get out of the Klutch Sports business, as those fruits have been rendered bare at this point. But I digress.

    Portland led by 10 (71-61) at the half mark. LA fell behind even further, 107-90 at one point in the third, before mounting a last-ditch effort to get back in the game with a late 7-0 run which cut the deficit to 11. Portland answered by hitting back-to-back triples to effectively seal the game and hand the Lakers their fifth loss in the last six games. It’s been a rough stretch of games going back to the Christmas debacle against Houston, as they’re 5-9 in the last 14 games dating back to mid December. Defensive shortcomings, shooting woes, inconsistent lineups and injuries have all played a role in the team’s current slide, yet somehow they still sits as the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 24-16 record. Their hot start to the season is still providing a small cushion, but it is starting to shrink with each loss. They’ll have to find a way to put together a good stretch of basketball in these next few weeks, as they await the trade deadline as well as ARs return. But for now, they’ll have to make due with their current group. It’s fair to say that they’ll need more out of Luka ​​Dončić, and much more out of LeBron James. The Lakers are a top-heavy team, and will only go as far as their stars take them. It’s time for those stars to step into the spotlight and provide the team a lift, if not, they could see themselves sink further in the standings, especially with this upcoming eight-game roadie. If they dip below the sixth seed, that’s effectively play-in territory where there are less guarantees. Hopefully the team will show some pride and recapture some of the better habits they displayed early on. Go Lakers.

  • Hornets Sting Lakers At Home

    One step forward, two steps backwards. After a promising home victory against the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers floundered their way to a disappointing showing at home against the Charlotte Hornets. Defensively, the team collapsed and is badly in need of some adjustments. Offensively, they’re still very top heavy, and lack the ancillary bench pieces to consistently supplement their stars’ production. Tonight was a tough watch, as the team fell behind early to a hot shooting team, and simply couldn’t recover, eventually dropping the game 135-117. A player like Austin Reaves is clearly missed, but the team needs to find ways to stay competitive, with tonight being a substantial setback. We’ll see how they respond.

    Charlotte’s starters had their way with LAs defense, with LaMelo Ball leading the way with 30 points (on nine three pointers), six rebounds and 11 assists. Brandon Miller added 26 points and five assists, while Miles Bridges had 25 points, eight boards and four dimes. Kon Knueppel also chipped in with 19 points. The Lakers had a tough time keeping up with that type of production, as Luka Dončić had 39 points and four assists, while draining six treys. LeBron James had another good game with 29 points and eight boards. Jake LaRavia (18 points), Deandre Ayton (12 points) and Marcus Smart (10 points) all found themselves in double digit scoring, however, the Lakers as a team only managed to score nine total bench points. This combined with the porous defense made it impossible to weather Charlotte’s offensive onslaught.

    While Charlotte’s 15-26 record is that of a mediocre club, they have been known to go on a heater as of late. They recently took down the NBA’s defending Champs OKC Thunder on the road, winning by 27. So they aren’t a team devoid of talent, despite their inexperience. Tonight they had it going, and the Lakers’ defense made sure to elevate their confidence. I sound like a broken record at this point, but the team’s defensive switching is atrocious, and a constant source of defensive breakdowns. Guys simply aren’t fighting through screens, and screener defenders are failing to switch on to the ballhandler swiftly and aggresively. This is both an effort and game-planning issue, with players getting lost on switches and the coaching staff failing to dial the right adjustments (maybe start pre-switching these actions). Charlotte also did a great job of forcing LAs low man (in most cases Ayton) to leave his feet, leading to numerous dump-offs for easy layups. Just a bad effort defensively, compounded by a hot shooting night from the Hornets; 54% from the floor, 47% from three and 94% from the charity stripe.

    LA had nothing offensively tonight, and like I’ve remarked before, when this team struggles to score, their defensive morale suffers. On the other hand Charlotte had 34 total assists, to LAs 18. They were also crushed at the glass, 50 to 35. Some of this due to the absence of Jaxson Hayes, who has played inspired basketball as of late. Deandre Ayton was underwhelming again, scoring just 12 points to go with six rebounds. Defensively, he’s just not enough of a presence down low to offset LAs shortage of perimeter stoppers, offering minimal resistance at the basket. When you factor in his low motor (some nights he runs the court like a gazelle, others like a middle-aged t-rex), lack of rebounding and overall effort, it’s becoming evidently clear that Ayton is merely a stopgap solution to the center position and not a longterm answer.

    Right now the Lakers aren’t competing and are unfocused. They constant whining to the referees leads to easy transition opportunities for the opposition. Tonight, you could see Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee consistently yell at his players demanding them to run on LA each time Luka, Ayton or LeBron stopped to complain to the refs. It’s an easy 5 on 4 very single time. The main culprits, however, continues to be the defensive lapses and the lack of complimentary offense. LaRavia, Ayton, Smart and Vanderbilt as a group are solid, yet wildly inconsistent. Some nights they’ll give you great production, some nights they’ll look like the Washington Generals. The lack of consistency is startling, and often a massive handicap, one that’s too big to overcome. Furthermore, the team has gotten away completely from running pick-and-roll. That crisp ball screen action with Luka and Ayton, or even Luka and LeBron, is becoming more scarce each game. Lately, the team is too reliant on iso ball, which is made worse by the lack of timely off-ball cutting and absence of dynamic offensive players. JJ Redick needs to instill the pick-and-roll back on the menu, with many variations and counters. With Rui back, that gives them a great option to slot at the corner or on the single side. Instead of dumping the ball to Ayton down low, it’s time to put him back in screen and roll action consistently.

    The Lakers have failed to take advantage of the their lax schedule early in January. The team is 1-4 in their last five games, with a numbers of those losses qualifying as missed opportunities. Losses against the likes of Milwaukee, Sacramento and Charlotte aren’t ideal, especially in the Western Conference, where the margins of error are so thin. LA will get a back-to-back during the weekend, against Portland and Toronto, before embarking on another lengthy eight-game road trip where the competition will ramp up. Ideally, one would like to see the team go at least 4-4, which means they’ll have to do their best to nail these next two contests. The team is clearly in a funk, while also clearly missing their second best player in Austin Reaves. Hopefully LeBron can starting earning that gaudy $56M salary and have his numbers translate to actual wins. Lately Luka has been picking it up, but chemistry and cohesion continue to be glaring areas ripe for improvement. They clearly need some momentum, so it’ll be wise to utilize these next two games as tuneups for the upcoming road trip. Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Bounce Back Versus Hawks

    “Making baskets motivates passing.” – JJ Redick, January 2026

    Following an unprecedented thrashing at the hands of the Sacramento Kings last night, the Lakers took the court at Crypto to face the Atlanta Hawks. Riding a three game losing streak, the team was looking to make good on their “get right” game, after letting the opportunity slip yesterday. The energy was much improved tonight, as the offense got it going early and were able to sustain it for the rest of the contest. LA cruised to a comfortable 141-116 victory, looking like a completely different team when their offense is clicking. The vaunted four-game losing streak was successfully averted, but moving forward it’s important for the team to maintain consistency and effort in order to find a winning stride once again.

    After a mediocre performance last night, LeBron James led the way with 31 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, stuffing the stat sheet yet again against a lesser team, but still a very welcome sight. Luka also played a tremendous game, scoring 27 points, while collecting 12 assists. But more importantly, the team received a balanced collection of scoring from the starting group, with Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton each contributing 17 points, with the latter adding another 18 rebounds. Marcus Smart also bounced back, with 16 points, after being given the starting nod once again. Gabe Vincent added 10 points off the bench, while Rui Hachimura supplemented the reserve group with 7 points in his first game back from a calf strain. Good vibes all around, albeit against a mediocre foe, but at this stage, a win is a win.

    The Lakers made a conscious effort to get out and run early. As a result, they created several easy opportunities in transition. For the game the Lakers finished with 23 fastbreak points, with most of them coming in the early stages as the team looked to set the pace. The enigmatic three-point ball also found its way back to the box score, as the Lakers made 19 of 34 three pointers good for 56%. No such self-induced handicaps for the team to overcome this time. Much of the hot shooting came by way of crisp ball movement, with players looking engaged and willing to make the extra pass. 36 team-assists was perhaps the highlight of the night, as it’s refreshing to see what this team is capable of doing when they’re locked in and playing for each other. As head coach JJ Redick remarked at halftime, “when the ball is going in, it motivates ball movement“.

    Defensively, there were certainly some downers. Atlanta had their way with their screening action on offense, often placing guys like Dalton Knecht (who continues to disappoint following a two point outing) in precarious defensive positions, often leading to mistakes. The Hawks made every attempt to run on the Lakers, even after makes, which often created easy opportunities for themselves on offense. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hawks with 26 points on 5-9 shooting from deep. Newly-acquired guard CJ McCollum also scored 25 points off the bench. Fortunately, the Hawks are a bad defensive team, and the Lakers had their way running on them as well, in particular, Deandre Ayton gave tremendous effort running the floor, something we don’t see from him often. Defensive closeouts and rotations continue to be an issue as well, as too many easy looks are surrendered because of guys missing a rotation, or a help responsibility. Hopefully these can be ironed out as the season moves along. Despite the occasional defensive warts, you can’t fault the level of effort and engagement from the team tonight.

    As good as the team looked, and it was certainly a much needed win, this game really highlighted the duality of the 2025-26 Lakers. Against the Kings they looked abysmal, shooting 22% from deep and looking dishevelled. Tonight, they flipped the script, torching the Hawks from deep to the tune of 56%. They won’t shoot like this every game, but lately, they’ve been shooting more like they did against the Kings a day ago. They need to find a middle ground. They need to be at least an above average three point shooting team, in order to offset their defensive woes. It starts with much of what we saw tonight, which is clever offensive sets, sound ball movement, and simply a level of focus and tenacity that we’ve yet to see consistently from this team. Yesterday, LaRavia, Smart and Ayton combined to score all of three points. Tonight, they contributed 36 points. That’s huge, especially when Luka, LeBron and Ayton all have it going. When guys play to their billing, this team can get it going. As the season progresses, the Lakers will have to find greater consistency out of their role players in order to reach their ceiling. We already know what the stars can do, now it’s up the the rest of the pecking order to figure out how to make a dent, night in and night out. Hopefully we continue to see this type of effort, as the Lakers take on the Charlotte Hornets this Thurdsay in LA, before embarking on another lengthy road trip. At 24-14, and 5th place in the Western Conference, there’s still plenty of season to make a push and reclaim one of the top seeds. Hopefully they’ll capitalize on it. Go Lakers.

  • Kings Checkmate Lakers In Sacramento

    It was along 48 minutes in Sacramento. The Lakers took to the road after a disappointing showing against the Milwaukee Bucks last Friday, where they were unable to secure a win in the last minutes of the game. They badly needed a win, and on the road, against a mediocre team, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to play the proverbial “get right” game. Instead, the Lakers came out and managed to look even worse against the 9-29 Sacramento Kings. The Lakers put forth a pedestrian effort, one where they shoed no intention of winning the contest. LAs complete lack of offense proved costly, as Sacramento out-shot and ran them out of the gym. We’ll see how the team bounces back, but as of right now, they’re playing their worst basketball of the season.

    The Kings themselves were coming in to the game with some momentum, following a victory over the Houston Rockets after a seven game losing streak. They received valuable contributions from their starting unit with Russell Westbrook (22 points/five rebounds/seven assists), Zach LaVine (19 points), and Demar Derozan (32 points/six rebounds) all having big nights. Reserve guard Malik Monk also had big 26 points off the bench.

    The Lakers meanwhile, only saw a big night from Luka Dončić whose 42 points led all players, while also collecting seven rebounds and eight assists. Jake LaRavia, Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt managed to score all of three points in a combined 84 minutes and 1-16 shooting. YIKES. As I’ve stated before, it’s tough (read:nearly impossible) to win with such self-inflicted handicaps. The three-point shooting continues to crater after an 8-36 (22%) exhibition from range. The Lakers, as a team, need to find their shot soon or else these woes will only amplify. Despite a promising start to the game, having built an early 15-10 lead, Sacramento’s balanced offensive play eventually took charge, eventually cruising to a comfortable 124-112 win over the Lakers.

    As of right now, the Lakers look like a team in flux. Their chemistry and execution seems off, and it’s evident in the way they play defense. The Lakers don’t communicate defensively. This particularly hurts them in help scenarios, where they fail to funnel the ballhandler into the help, which is a must considering their lack of impactful individual defenders. In order to win, LA must play well-above average team defense consistently. Then there’s the fact that the ball screen defense continues to be abysmal. The Lakers rely on drop coverage far too frequently, when they should be asking their bigs to creep up more to the level of the screen in order to hedge and force the ballhandler to navigate through the bigs before getting into the lane. Instead the Lakers simply surrender the lane where they don’t have elite rim protectors near the basket. Transition defense continues to sputter as well, with guys not communicating and constantly missing assignments, namely at stopping the ball. Lastly, the team is horrible at playing the gaps, with no concept of stunt-and-recovering, often promoting easy drives to the basket after the initial defender gets blown by. Lately, there’s a clear lack of hustle, execution and overall disconnect defensively which makes one question if the team has tuned out the coaching staff, or if there’s any sort of inner friction that’s triggering such lackluster and uninspired effort.

    With all that said, any team that’s consistently shooting in the 20s for three point percentage is begging to get beat in today’s NBA. That’s the type of offensive dearth the Lakers have been putting forth lately. We can talk about the roster being unbalanced, the lack of perimeter defenders/athletes on the roster, LeBron James taking up 35% of the salary cap as a third option at 41 years old, all of which are true. But if the team can’t improve their offensive output, they’re hopeless. They need to be able to score the ball with more consistency, and they need more production out of their role players, including LeBron, who was outplayed by Russell Westbrook tonight, adding insult to injury. LAs once productive pick-and-roll attack, their bread and butter has plateau’d as of late, with opponents successfully dialling the right adjustments due to its predictability. Luka ball screens look increasingly more congested, as teams are just packing the paint, ignoring corner ‘shooters’ such as Vando or Smart. LAs inability to make teams pay from range, particularly from the corners, is torpedoing their screen and roll efficiency, which is the hallmark of any Luka-led offense. The Lakers need to make changes to their offensive approach and do so quickly.

    With the team’s woes as of late, it’s tough to say that any of it is an easy fix. Hopefully the return of Rui Hachimura will boost the offense, as well as Austin Reaves’ return further down the line. For now, JJ Redick must get more creative with his offensive sets, and try to diversify things a little bit. Defensively, there’s still plenty of work as well. It starts with demanding more effort, better communication and sounder execution from the players on the court. Team defense should be one of the main areas of focus, needing to improve. The Lakers will take on the Atlanta Hawks back home tomorrow. The team should be prepared and come out of the gates hungry and with every intention of finding their groove. They’re at the point where they can allow their season to spiral, despite a great start, if they don’t start fixing things now. Hopefully, they know this and will react accordingly. Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Give It Away Versus Bucks

    Following a no-show at San Antonio two nights prior, the Lakers took the court in LA against the Milwaukee Bucks in hopes of a bounce-back game. Unfortunately, the team came up flat once more. They never managed to kick the offense in gear, while the Bucks played a solid 48-minute effort, eventually outlasting the Purple and Gold by a 105-101 final. LA was trudging on mud all night, and looked lethargic on both ends. Luka Dončić was off his game, scoring 24 points (his lowest output since Christmas versus Houston) on 8-25 shooting. LeBron James’ 26 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists were not enough to keep the team afloat. The Lakers are clearly reeling and need to make changes, both philosophically and strategically in order to get back on the right track.

    The Lakers looked off right from tip-off, as they committed five turnovers in the opening quarter, with most of them being of the careless variety. Eventually, they fell behind 61-52 after a half of play. They couldn’t get it going in the second half either, entering the fourth trailing 86-77. During the final period, they were able to make some noise, as they went on a 17-4 run to momentarily reclaim the lead. Unfortunately, neither Luka nor LeBron could make the necessary plays to bring this one home, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (24 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two blocks) and Kevin Porter Jr. (22 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals) did enough to earn their side the win.

    LAs stars didn’t show up tonight. Luka played terribly, exhibiting poor shot selection as well as on-ball decision-making. He shot 8-25 from the floor, including 4-6 from beyond the arc, meaning he shot 4-19 from two-point range. His finishing around the basket has taken a sharp nosedive lately. Maybe this is who he is, or maybe he isn’t right at the moment. If the latter is the case, he will have to continue playing through it, as the Lakers don’t have the luxury of resting Luka for any prolonged stretch as they’re currently thin on offensive initiators, with Austin Reaves still nursing a calf injury, and not slated to return until at least early February. LeBron James was OK. He can still somewhat fill it up. Too can’t close to save his life, getting swatted by Giannis and then coughing up the rock on back-to-back possessions to seal the loss. To his credit, LeBron’s effort was great tonight. Alas, the Lakers are a top heavy team, meaning that in order to win consistently they need lights out performances from their star players every single night. To make matters worse, Deandre Ayton sucked too. Four points and five rebounds

    The Lakers did themselves no favors from the charity stripe either, going 8-14, good for 57%. In a close game, that makes all the difference. Every free throw attempt was taken by LeBron and Luka, so it’s safe to say; they need to buckle down and deliver. Tonight, they didn’t. Luka was particularly terrible, committing four fouls in the third quarter, eventually fouling himself out of the contest following a reckless closeout on Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. Luka’s game has lacked the dynamics that we saw early on in the year. He’s settling for bad threes, and the finishing at the basket isn’t quite there. My main takeaway after tonight’s game is Luka needs to figure things out. If Luka isn’t playing like a superstar, then this team has no shot. JJ Redick needs to go back to running more sophisticated ball screen action, where Luka is at his best. The problem is that as of right now, the floor spacing just isn’t there. Teams are just collapsing on Luka, trapping or comfortably doubling off of the corners (where guys like Vando are unable to make them pay). This has affected Deandre Ayton as well, who is seeing his midrange looks be slightly more contested. Regardless, both of them need to get it going offensively..

    Amidst this current skid (having lost six out of their last ten), it’s important for the team to be able to make the necessary adjustments to right the ship. One thing that’s looked much better as of late is the collective defense by the starting five. Much of that having to do with the presence of Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart. With Rui Hachimura slated to return in the coming days, it’s important for Redick to decide whether to insert Rui back with the starters, or to bring him off the bench. Rui needs to come off the bench. Jake LaRavia’s play as a starter (15.4 points/six rebounds/2 steals on 52%FG, 38%3P and 82%FT since joining the starters earlier this month) has been emblematic of the team’s needs more so than what Rui brings to the table. Rui’s specialty is that of a scorer, where as Jake gives you scoring and defense. The bench needs scoring, while the starters need defender. Hopefully Redick can see this and make the right call moving forward. As I stated before, the team’s roles and rotations can’t be predicated on politics, but rather on circumstances. On the aggregate, the Lakers need to do a better job of meeting the moment and positioning themselves in the right spots in order to find success again. Hopefully they have both the urgency and know-how to start putting it together. Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Split Road Games Versus Pelicans and Spurs

    The LA Lakers hit the road for a mini two-game road trip, to mixed results. They had an encouraging outing versus the New Orleans Pelicans, outlasting them in a hard-fought contest, 111-103. They then turned around immediately to face the Spurs in San Antonio, where they fell 107-91, in a slow and ugly game. The team seems to be putting the pieces together and playing better basketball, after the Christmas Day debacle, winning four out of their last five games going into the Spurs game. However, the consistency and the team identity isn’t there at this moment, as they still have much wortk to be done before staking such a claim. Alas, it’s important for the team to simply keep winning games, until trade season arrives, and they have avenues to improve the roster.

    Heading into New Orleans, the team was riding a two-game win streak. LA remains short-handed given the absences of Austin Reaves (who figures to be out until at least the All-Star break) and Rui Hachimura (who is said to be nearing return after nursing a calf ailment). Additionally, the Lakers have also lost Adou Thiero to an MCL sprain for the foreseeable future. Luckily, Luka Dončić seems to be getting his groove back, as he led the team to a crucial win after scoring 30 points to go with 10 assists. LeBron James also played a strong game, with 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Deandre Ayton (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Marcus Smart (13 points, six rebounds and four assists) rounded out a balanced night for the starters, as the Lakers found just enough to outlast a young and hungry Pelicans side.

    Getting the win was vital, as the following night at San Antonio didn’t prove as fruitful. The Lakers were even more short-handed, with LeBron sitting out due to load management. Additionally, the team just plain looked flat. Luka was fantastic, dropping a 38 point, 10 rebound, 10 assist triple-double, while also turning the ball over seven times. The turnovers can be excused, as no other teammate really showed up. Outside of Jake LaRavia’s 16 points, no other starter notched double-digits in scoring. The bench was abysmal yet again with only Jaxson Hayes (10 points, seven boards) managing to make a dent. LA shot a lousy 23% (9-39) from three, which really killed their momentum. They did themselves no favors from the free throw line were they only shot 64%. The Spurs didn’t play their best game either, however, they were much more balanced. Stephon Castle (15 points), De’Aaron Fox (14 points) and Julian Champagnie (11 points) led a multi-pronged attack by their starters. Young superstar Victor Wembanyama had a stellar 16 point/ 14 rebound effort off the bench, while sixth man Keldon Johnson had a team-high 27 points. It was a winneable game, but LAs complete dearth of offense extinguished any chance to pull out an upset.

    The short two-game trip was a mixed bag. On one hand, the team showed some grit, outlasting the Pels on the road. Offensively, LA is starting to diversify while opponents are getting different looks. Luka is being played more off-ball, often with LeBron or Marcus Smart initiating. This is a savvy way to counter the numerous doubles that Luka sees when he’s on the ball. Of-ball, where it’s much harder to double him, he can catch the ball in motion, often coming off a down screen from Ayton, which can swiftly flow into a pick-and-roll. The two-man game with LeBron and Luka was also activated, particularly towards the end of the game, where it was a key factor in seling the win. It’s great to see different wrinkles being thrown into the mix, as JJ Redick and his staff appear willing to tinker the gameplan and make the most out of the pieces at hand. Defensively, the team continue to get shredded on drop coverages, where guards seemingly have their way against LAs defense. There are still many issues as far as the help defense, with stunt and recover actions continually botched and other assorted defensive breakdowns that arise from players ball-watching and being out of position. All in all, the effort was there against New Orleans. Amidst an up and down contest, the Lakers managed to tighten up towards the final minutes and hang on for the win.

    Against the Spurs, the team simply did not have it. LeBron’s absence, while already severely undermanned, proved to be a hill to steep. When both LeBron and AR are out, the team simply doesn’t have the requisite offense to hang with the likes of top teams such as the Spurs. Even in a night where San Antonio shot extremely poorly from three (4-25 for 16%) the Lakers failed to make up any ground needed to scratch and claw their way to a competitive fight. Outside of Luka, the starters combined to score just 31 points, with the bench being outclassed yet again. It’s safe to say that they probably win this game with either AR or LeBron, or both, having been available. LAs defense in this game was actually admirable. But their inability to score the basketball spoiled any hopes of an upset. Jarred Vanderbilt, Marcus Smart, Dalton Knecht and Gabe Vincent only managed to shoot 2-18 from beyond the arc. Given that these are all prime rotational players, such handicaps make it impossible for any team to compete in the modern NBA. It’s unfortunate too, because the team managed to hang in the game, but could not make it interesting towards the end, where the Spurs pulled away, due to their deficiencies on offense. Despite a great night from Luka, LA also failed to ignite any cunning two-man action between Luka and Deandre Ayton (who finished with a disappointing nine points and six boards). It’s starting ti become evident that moves need to be made for this team to legitimately compete in the latter stages of the season. The team needs players who can space the floor and make the offense more dynamic. Surely the injuries aren’t ideal, but if Luka is running the offense, he should always be surrounded by players than can maximize his skills. Shooters, screen-setters and functional athletes that can pressure the rim.

    With all that said, the team still sits at 23-12, and are fortunate to have built a nice cushion following a hot start, allowing them to sustain losses such as tonight. However, that’s not to say that the team ought to be complacent. They should look to get back on track, and try to string together some wins to maintain their placing in the standings. With many other clubs in in the West currently struggling, the Lakers’ woes are less pronounced. As long as they can keep a winning pace until mid-February when they can look to bring reinforcements to the roster, they are doing the best they can do. and that is all to realistically ask. The Lakers will make their way back to LA to play the Milwaukee Bucks. Perhaps LeBron and Rui will return to the lineup, and with Luka’s play starting to look more like it did during the start of the season, the Lakers certainly have the horses to keep their heads above water. Which is what they’ll have to do in the very immediate future. Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Sweep Weekend Series Against Grizzlies

    Following a rocky month of December, the Lakers have opened the new year on a positive note, and seem to be taking decent steps to playing good basketball once again. They played the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, and looked like a rejuvenated team. The team went back to its bread and butter, that of course being their half-court execution, and recaptured much of the offensive spark we’d seen early on in the year, en route to a 128-121 victory. It was a good way to kick off the new year, and couldn’t have come at a better time, with the team flirting with disaster as of late.

    With Jake LaRavia sliding into the starting group, in the absence of Rui Hachimura, the Lakers actually looked more complete. Jake stepped in with 21 points and nine rebounds, while also playing well on the defensive side. He showcased a nice and versatile game, scoring from the midrange as well as from beyond the arc. All in all, LA received a strong and balanced showing from their starters, with Luka Dončić tallying 34 points, six rebounds and eight assists (as well as six turnovers), and LeBron James chipping in with 31 points, nine boards and six assists. Marcus Smart also found himself in double figures with 13 points, to go with 8 boards and seven dimes, in a solid all-around effort.

    Things weren’t all rosy though , as the Lakers blew a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter quarter. However, the team managed to buckle down, finding just enough in the tank to close out the Grizz in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t pretty, albeit, a much needed win for the ailing Lakers.

    LA looked to beat Memphis for a second time, as both clubs squared off again on Sunday. Both were severly undermanned, with the Grizzlies sidelining young guard Ja Morant due to calf issues. For the Lakers, Austin Reaves continues to be out of action, missing his fourth consecutive game, while Rui Hachimura sat out his third straight. The team started off slow, but managed to piece together a sufficient effort, erasing an 11-point deficit late in the third, and outscoring Memphis 37-27 in the final quarter, on their way to a 120-114 win. Luka was terrific, netting 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. LeBron also finished with 26 points, to go with seven boards and 10 dishes. Jake LaRavia continued his strong play with 26 points, with five rebounds and four assists. Marcus smart (six points on 1-5 from the floor) had a down game, but was offset by Deandre Ayton’s strong 15 point/11 rebounds effort, as the Lakers continued their balanced output from their starting five.

    The team flirted with disaster on both nights, playing down to their competition, as has been the case recently, yet managing to find enough to ultimately pull it off. On the bright side, LeBron and Luka are starting to develop more of a rapport. We’re starting to see more two-man action, particularly late in games, particularly in Sunday’s game, which led to several quality possessions dow the stretch. Luka also made a deliberate effort to get into the paint and finish close to the basket, whereas lately his shot selection (via heavy dose of stepback threes) has been suspect. Jake LaRavia also continued his string of good games as a starter, posting back-to-back 20-point efforts during the weekend. When you factor in his rebounding, playmaking and defensive abilities, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t start over Rui Hachimura moving forward. Politics aside, it is the correct basketball move for the team moving forward. Defensively, the issues still persist, with poor rotations, bad transition defense and weak defensive rebounding still presenting challenges for certain stretches. But the effort was there, as well as certain new wrinkles, such as playing Luka off-ball more, allowing him to catch the ball in stride as he curls on down screen looking to score or dish. LeBron screening for Luka, especially late in games, has also proven resourceful, as they’re polishing their two-man game. Something that’s of great value, particularly with AR sidelined for the time being. Hopefully these good bits of progress continue once the Lakers play better competition. They’ll get a chance to test themselves when they take on the Spurs on Wednesday, but not before they play the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The team must keep their foot on the gas during this next stretch of games. Thankfully, their hot start has afforded them some leeway, and now, any good three or four game streak can put them back on track. Maybe they can find some success heading into their first road trip of the new year. Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Rebound to Beat Kings, Immediately Fall Flat to Pistons in LA

    “The turnovers, fast break points and points in the paint killed us tonight.” – Jonathan Clay Redick, December 2025

    Following a 23-point Christmas beatdown at the hands of the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers took the court against the Sacramento Kings in hopes of getting back on track. Thankfully, for the Lakers, they were playing the Sacramento Kings. LA won handily, 125-101, as Luka Dončić led the way with 34, while LeBron James also contributed 24 points. Nick smith Jr. scored 21 big points off the bench, as the reserves played one of their better outings thus far. This had all the makings of a get right game, as the Lakers successfully tee’d off against an inferior Kings roster, who were missing several key players in guard Zach LaVine and big man Domantas Sabonis.

    Against Sacramento, LA feasted on their abysmal defense. The Kings do a poor job of defending screens. They often leave no backside help against rollers, and when they trap, as they did to Luka on several possessions, they do a terrible job at tagging the roll man, in this case Ayton. The Lakers’ offense had their way, and the team looked re-energized. They shot 53% from the floor, 39% from three-point range, and won the points-in-the-paint battle (56-50) as they also limited their turnovers, while keeping the King’s transition game at bay (something that’s been an uphill battle for the Purple & Gold recently). The Lakers drove to the rim at will, with Sacramento’s defense offering little resistance, due to their lack of communication and relatively bad execution. It was never really a contest, and the Lakers looked to be getting their groove back.

    Unfortunately, the mirage of stomping on a bottom-dweller (the Kings are tied for the worst record in the Western Conference) washed off rather swiftly once they turned around to face the Detroit Pistons, who are the best team in the Eastern Conference. The three-on-twos and two-on-ones that they were able to consistently create against the hapless Kings defense were methodically wiped out by Detroit’s athletic, switchy, and well-coached defensive attack. Thus, the Lakers weren’t able to keep up offensively against the well-oiled Pistons, getting beat soundly by a 128-106 final. Consequently, as is the case with mediocre teams (and the Lakers are certainly mediocre right now), they get easily demoralized on defense once they can’t score on offense. Bad offense leads to bad defense.

    As of right now, the Lakers are a defensive mess. One that gets further exposed by their tendency to stall on offense. Against the Pistons, they displayed a comedy of errors. The team’s lack of communication defensively is truly hurting their ability for solid defensive execution. LAs switching schemes are quite simply abysmal, as they often put two on the ball, leaving a roll man the open trail to the basket. This is compounded by the fact that they don’t have a true defensive anchor, and have to rely on guys like Deandre Ayton to be the last line of defense. The Pistons dropped a video-game-like 74 points in the paint, as the Lakers had no solution for taming Detroit’s consistent odd-man pressure.

    Then there’s the transition defense. The Lakers simply don’t get back on defense, and the word is out. They don’t stop the ball, which is bad enough. They also don’t protect the basket. It’s a tell-tale sign of bad effort. Detroit amassed a ridiculous 31 fastbreak points, to LAs 12. You will never win a game giving up that sort of handicap. To make matters worse, the Pistons were also the hungrier and more physical team, winning the rebounding battle 37-33, while also displaying superior ball movement on offense by way of 30 team assists. They shot a blistering 63% from the court, as well as 46% from three. They completely dismantled the Lakers’ anemic defensive schemes. Luka did his best to fill the statsheet, with 30 points (on 22 shots) while also filling it with eight turnovers. LeBron, following an encouraging showing versus the Kings, was made to look rather old with 17 points (on 17 shots) to go with four assists and five turnovers. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham outclassed the field with an impressive 27 points, five rebound, 11 assist performance. Jaxson Hayes chipped in with 13 points off the bench, but it failed to offset Detroit’s effortless offensive output.

    The Lakers are reeling. The absence of Austin Reaves, who is clearly the team’s bonafide no. 2, is of consequence. But ultimately, it’s the team’s lack of focus, competitive spirit and complete disregard of sound defensive principles that are currently sinking their psyching. There is seemingly no gameplan to ameliorate their defensive shortcomings, as every game offers more of the same. They can’t properly ice a screen, they have no concept of hedging (Deandre Ayton is being asked to play the most vanilla drop coverage), they don’t tag the roll man, their soft switching is a mess, and they don’t make the slightest attempt to communicate with each other, which makes it impossible to successfully defend some of the more intricate screening actions that their opponents present. As I’ve been saying, it’s a rotten cocktail of coaching and effort. Neither of which is present. Changes need to be in order, and more needs to be asked out of this current group, otherwise the team will endure a prolonged stretch of mediocre ball that will undo any sort of of cushion they’ve built for themselves following a strong start to the season. AR won’t return until around the All-Star break, and the trade dominoes usually don’t start to drop until around February. So the changes will have to come internally, and they should be mostly philosophical. JJ Redick needs to step up and get more juice out of this crop of players. Whether it’s shuffling lineups, or instilling a better gameplan, he needs to start experimenting. The roster, however unbalanced, has the pieces to succeed. It’s a matter of re-ordering them in order to find the right chemistry.

    Happy New Year.

    Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Drop Consecutive Games to Suns and Rockets In Embarrassing Fashion

    It’s been a rough Christmas for the Lakers. The team lost consecutive games for the first time, coming up short against the Clippers and Suns. On Christmas afternoon, the lost again to the Houston Rockets. They lost each game by 15, 24 and 23 points. Clearly, this has been their lowest point of the season thus far. LA has to make changes, both to their game plan and to their rotations, if there’s any hope of steering this ship in the right direction. The team currently lacks effort, an identity, and more importantly, a cohesive system, both offensively and defensively that players can fall back on and execute. Big changes should be in place.

    The defensive issues continue to persist. The Lakers simply can’t execute a switch properly. They either fail to get behind the roll man, fail to jam the ballhandler at the level of the screen, or some meek combination of both. The team is also playing with absolutely no effort. Their closeouts are lazy, they don’t sprint to the three point line, their help defense is erratic. Players generally look lost out there. The Lakers make comically novice mishaps on defense far too often, such as failing to seal off the middle of the floor, or having guys wandering behind the three point line when they should be in a more advantageous help position. It’s a combination of low effort and lack of coaching. As Head Coach JJ Redick remarked following the Rockets 119-96 beatdown, “I’m not doing another 53 games like this”. Whatever that means, it better spell changes.

    The Lakers haven’t even been playing terribly, statistically speaking. They shot 48% from the the floor and 38% from three against the Suns. Yet, they still got clobbered, 132-108. This speaks to a team that is simply going through the motions, and coasting off of their skill. Yet they’re putting in no effort. Through the season thus far, we’ve seen glimpses of the team’s lapse in effort. But in the last three games, it’s come full circle. Their effort level has bottomed out. Defensively, they have no interest in staying in front of their man and keeping them out of the basket.

    Agains the Rockets, it was a similar story, shooting 51% from the court, and 37% from three. They were still decimated 119-96 by an exponential sharper Rockets side, who exuded superior execution, on both ends. In this game, LA were destroyed in the glass, 48-25. When the team doesn’t want to rebound, or play defense, that is as good as a loss. Role players have also fallen off a cliff lately, with Rui Hachimura tallying zero points, in 28 minutes of action last night. This goes back to the team’s lack of an offensive identity. Players like Rui have no idea what to do or where to be on the floor, because there’s no semblance of a game plan in place to sort everybody’s roles.

    It should also be noted that LeBron James, after picking up his $56M player option, and having his agent/mouthpiece make the media rounds critiquing the Lakers’ organization, has been objectively mediocre in the past few games, all losses. Following some ho-hum 23 and 18 point performances, he simply isn’t playing to the level insinuated by his gaudy salary. For someone who still believes he can carry a franchise, he clearly needs to step up. Not even carry a franchise, just be a reliable no.2 who can effectively play off of Luka. Except they’re a terrible fit together. I’ve written about LA needing to get out of the LeBron/Klutch business. I’ve seen nothing from this team or LeBron’s play thus far that would move me off of that opinion.

    Lastly, Luka Dončić needs to do summer. This past summer, he was handed the keys to the franchise. He was extended for the longterm, inking a three-year extension with the Purple and Gold, after the organization traded Anthony Davis for him last February. Lately, Luka hasn’t been playing great basketball. Certainly not to the level expected from a franchise pillar. Since rejoining the club following a leave of absence, Luka has been putting up a shade under 30 points (29.5) per game. But, he is doing so shooting 41% from the floor and 26% from three. His turnovers have also ballooned to 4.2 a night. Luka’s shot selection has been an issue lately, often settling for long threes early in the shot clock, insread of attacking the basket and forcing the defense to rotate or collapse. You can’t make a living off of attacking a set defense, at some point you have to try to break them down. Luka needs to find his midrange shot, atttack the rim and look for more post-ups. If ill-fated step-back threes are his version of quixck offense, then that will not yield the results that the team needs. He needs to go back to the old Luka, where he can put pressure on the defense at multiple fronts.

    The Lakers need to get back to playing organized, team-basketball. There’s no concept of semblance out there lately, with guys just looking to get their shots and being completely zoned out on the other end. Help defense, defensive switching, rotations, ball movement, team rebounding and shot selection all need to improve. Especially with guard and All-Star hopeful Austin Reaves slated to miss time (he’ll be out at least four weeks with a grade 2 calf strain, which are no joke), it’ll take a team-wide collaboration to dig in and try to right their current trajectory. Both coaches and players need to come together, as both can do more. Much more. In the meantime, they have built themselves a decent cushion, standing at 19-10. Their early season success has afforded them a bit of grace. Nonetheless, it’s important for this group to produce a solid, all-encompassing and decisive victory soon, so that they can build off of it and maybe start to recapture their better habits. As Coach JJ Redick aptly put it, “we can’t do 56 more games of this”.

    Merry Christmas.

    Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Out-Clip Clippers In Inglewood

    Sometimes it snows in Clipperland.

    The Lakers made the short trek to Inglewood to take on the Clippers, after defeating the Jazz two days prior. The team had made some decent progress as far as establishing some cohesion, with the offense looking to find its footing amidst the absence of Austin Reaves, LAs second leading scorer. Unfortunately, the middle stepchild Clippers would go on to get the better of this one, as the Lakers seemingly sleepwalked through the contest and did not show much interest in trying to mount a competitive showing. The Clips prevailed 103-88, in one of the lower scoring contests of the NBA season so far. Losing to the Clippers is never a pretty sight, and having them break their five game slump at the Lakers’ expense makes it even worse. The Lakers, though shorthanded, still should have found enough in the tank to bring this one home, but with that kind of effort, it’s tough to beat anyone. It was “Role-Reversal Night” in Clip City, which means that the Lakers need to return the favor when they match up again at Crypto. But for now, this is the type of game you forget about and move on.

    The Clippers, who were riding a five-game losing streak, were determined to course correct at the Lakers’ expense. They came out of the gates with great intensity, opening up a 20-9 lead early on in the first quarter. Kawhi Leonard led the way with a season-high 32 points, while James Harden contributed 21 points and 10 assists. John Collins rounded out the starting unit’s balanced scoring with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

    The Lakers slow start would be further exacerbated when Luka Dončić sat out the entire second half after exiting with a lower leg contusion. He had 12 points and five boards in 19 minutes, but contributed to the team’s shooting woes, after missing his first six shots. LeBron James had a productive game with 36 points, but failed to make an impact once the Lakers got within single digits late in the fourth quarter. Jake LaRavia, who received the starting nod, was the only other Laker in double digits scoring with 12 points, on 0-4 from range.

    The Lakers shot an abysmal 6-38 from three, good for 16%. With the type of effort they put forth, shooting that poorly from distance will all but guarantee a loss. The Clippers for their troubles shot 16-43 from three, good for 37%. You could say that was the difference.

    The Clippers looked like the more athletic and determined side. They shot the ball more efficiently, and seemed to corral every 50-50 ball. Despite the Lakers winning the points in the paint battle (48-34), committing less turnovers (11-19) and narrowly losing the rebounding battle (43-48), their outside shooting woes were perhaps a hill too steep. Tough to win a game in today’s NBA after missing 30+ thee pointers. Even though the Lakers managed to make the game close in the fourth quarter, eventually making it a seven point deficit, their erratic shooting did them no favors. They could not get any closer.

    The Lakers’ effort was nothing to be proud of. They settled for isolation basketball on one end, and soft-switched their way defensively to an array of quality Clipper looks from range. The Lakers continue doing an incredibly poor job of switching on screens, often surrendering open shots, whether its with a soft switch or meekly going under the screen, surrendering a quality shot. LA is the type of team that can mentally check out on defense when the offense isn’t there. If shots aren’t falling, and they certainly weren’t, they quickly lose interest on the defensive side. That’s the making of an unmotivated team, and they can start by addressing their sub-par switching schemes as well as their screen navigation. Their late rotations are also leaving plenty on the table.

    Maybe this is simply one of those games. But we’ve seen a few too many of them in the young stages of the season. The team was shorthanded, with Austin Reaves still nursing a sore calf, while Rui Hachimura (sore groin) and Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness) all sat out last night’s contest. Luka’s mid-game exit didn’t help matters either. Perhaps with a full compliment of rotations, things will start to sort themselves out. But the effort should always be there.

    The Lakers will now travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns again, finalizing their current eight-game road trip. The team needs to bring about a renewed effort and intensity, in order to get themselves back on track. Attention to detail on the defensive end will go a long way. Of course, making shots will also help their cause. Players like Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart need to find their stroke, and even the likes of LeBron, AR and Luka who have all well below their averages. Perhaps we’ll see a positive regression to the mean, as the team is clearly better at shooting the ball than they’ve shown. If not, then Rob Pelinka and the front office will have to get to work in order to add the requisite pieces, now that trade season is officially open. Until then, the team should hang their heads on their toughness and grit in order to keep themselves afloat. At 19-8 they’ve built a decent cushion, but amidst an ultra-competitive Western Conference, they should definitely strive to do better. Go Lakers.