Despite dealing with several key injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers are off to a fantastic start to the 2025-26 season. The Lakers sit in the top six of the Western Conference, but they do have issues that could keep them from reaching their goal of competing for an NBA championship.
Recently Buried On The Bench, Lakers Veteran Forward Could Help Fix Lakers’ Biggest Issue
LA begins a four-game road trip at Phoenix on Sunday night, sitting atop the Pacific Division with a 17-7. It is the Lakers’ best start to a campaign since 2020-21, and they are on pace to produce their best season since 2019-20.
The Lakers are one of the top offensive teams in the league, led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic and Reaves are the top-scoring duo in the league at 62.8 points a game. The duo is on pace to be the first teammates to average over 60 points a contest since 2019-20 when James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 61.5 points a contest.
The Lakers, No. 6 in offensive rating and 10th in scoring at 118.1 points, are one of two teams to shoot over 50% from the field for the season. While the Lakers are 16th in 3-point percentage (36.1%), they are dead last in field goal attempts, 23rd in 3-pointers, and 24th in 3-point attempts. They don’t get to the free-throw line much and turn the ball over a lot.
Los Angeles has recently become whole with LeBron James making his debut last month. The Lakers have increased their production in the previous 10 games and are 7-3 in those games. James, who has played in eight of the contests, has scored in double-figures in seven of his eight outings and averages nearly 17 points a game, though he is shooting just 46.8% from the field as a result of his struggling from deep (11 of 36).
Defense is the Lakers’ biggest issue.
The Lakers have averaged 121 points during this stretch, scoring at least 123 points five times, which they need to do as their defense continues to struggle. The Lakers’ defense has surrendered 12 or more points on six occassions during this stretch, including four of their last five.
Over this 10-game stretch, LA has allowed over 120 points. The Lakers have allowed opponents to shoot nearly 49% from the field and 15.2 threes at a 40% clip. Overall, the Lakers rank 21st in defensive rating, as they rank in the bottom third of the league in field goal percentage and three-point defense (opponents’ threes made and 3-point percentage).
“I don’t think there’s anybody in that meeting room that thinks we’re a good defensive team right now,” JJ Redick told the Los Angeles Times, Thuc. “But I also don’t think there’s anybody in that meeting room who thinks we can’t be a good defensive team. We’ve got to get better.”
“The most glaring issues are the team’s defense in transition and early in the opponent’s offense,” Redick continued. The Lakers give up 1.19 points per transition opportunity, fifth-worst in the league.
The Lakers will be shorthanded when they face the Suns at 8 p.m. (ET) tonight. Reeves is out for at least a week with a calf injury. Meaning he likely won’t be available until December 20 against the Clippers or December 22 against the Suns to conclude the road trip. Maxi Kleber, who has been in and out of the rotation since making his season debut early November, is out with a back injury.
Jared Vanderbilt Could Re-Enter Lineup
A big reason for the Lakers’ trouble is that they have few elite perimeter defenders. Doncic, Reaves, and James certainly don’t fit the bill. While Marcus Smart taking over for Reeves in Redick’s first unit should help the Lakers’ defense, it also creates a hole in the second unit’s defense.
The Lakers’ starters allow opponents to score 81.7 points per game, which is the ninth-most in the league, and opponents’ starters shoot 48.6% from the field and 38.9% from deep. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ bench is holding opponents’ reserves to the 12th-fewest points (35.1) on 46.9% shooting (25th) and 37.0% from the 3-point line.
Reddick does have an option that fixes the Lakers’ defensive problem. That would be re-inserting Jared Vanderbilt in the rotation. Vanderbilt, who has only played three minutes over the last month, is one of the team’s best defenders. But the versatile, athletic forward — capable of guarding all three frontcourt positions — has struggled offensively. A career 55% percent shooter, Vanderbilt has only made 47% of his field goal attempts since the beginning of the 2024-25 season. Moreover, he has made just 13 of 47 attempts from the 3-point line (27.6%) during this period.
“If this continues (Lakers defensive issues), he’ll definitely get his opportunities,” Redick added.
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