Each week throughout the 2025-26 NBA season, we’ll explore major league storylines to determine if the trends we’re seeing hold up to scrutiny.
Last week’s focus: Jonathan Kuminga is a talented basketball player.
Fact or Fiction: Can the Lakers build a championship team around Luka Doncic’s defense?
If you search for “JJ Redick,” you’ll find headlines like “Lakers coach criticizes team effort” or “Newest attempt to fix Los Angeles’ defense.” After a recent 115-107 win over a short-handed Denver Nuggets, Redick remarked to reporters, “My staff, analytics team, and I are focused on finding the best defensive approach for this group.”
Now halfway through the season—and nearing the anniversary of Doncic’s trade to the Lakers, who’ll face his former team this Saturday—the team’s defense has shown slight progress. Back in December, Redick believed that defensive issues couldn’t be fixed tactically, only by players exerting more effort.
“We’ve practiced extensively, analyzed the plays, and shown film,” he said after losing to the Suns. “Now it’s about choosing to put in the effort—sprinting back, taking a second chance. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Whether this is a coaching strategy or reflects player mindset, the Lakers’ defensive struggles are clear. They rank 25th out of 30 teams, giving up 117.3 points per 100 possessions this season. Since early December, their rating worsens to 119.2 points allowed per 100 possessions—29th in the league and only better than the historically poor Utah Jazz defense.
A major cause of their weak defense is that few teams prioritize guarding Doncic. Synergy’s stats show opponents run 2.2 possessions per game against his isolation plays—the highest in the league. Although this only measures the volume of plays, it illustrates the issue clearly. Tyler Herro ranks second, highlighting the accuracy of this stat.
Another factor is the supporting cast: LeBron James and Austin Reaves, though offensive standouts, are not defensive stalwarts, while Deandre Ayton does little rim protection. After a blowout loss, Redick admitted, “Our team defense was terrible all night.” Marcus Smart, who may be their best defender, is unlikely to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors at age 31.
Smart himself acknowledged in December, “When we give up offensive rebounds in key moments, and there’s no urgency or help defense, there’s really nothing JJ can do. It’s up to us.”
Defensively, the Lakers aren’t currently good enough to contend for a title. This raises an important question that Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison answered negatively last year: can you build a championship team around Doncic’s defense?
The short answer is yes (contrary to Nico’s view). At 24, Doncic led a Mavericks squad with Kyrie Irving and role players to the 2024 NBA Finals, despite their defense ranking only 18th. It shows that with the right two-way contributors, a championship is possible alongside Doncic, who leads the league averaging 33.4 points, 8.7 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.
But can the Lakers replicate this? It’s tougher, especially given front office missteps post-2020 championship. While they have Doncic, Reaves, and aging LeBron—three top scorers—the trio is outscored by 7.4 points per 100 possessions, a figure similar to this year’s struggling Washington Wizards.
Though LeBron, now 41, may have a strained relationship with team management, a trade before the February 5 deadline seems unlikely given the challenge of acquiring enough defensive help to contend.
LeBron’s free agency this summer, however, could free up as much as $54 million in cap space, giving the Lakers a chance to build around Doncic over the coming years before Reaves signs a max extension.
With LeBron off the court, the duo of Doncic and Reaves currently outperforms opponents by 14.2 points per 100 possessions, combining elite offense with top-three defense, according to Cleaning the Glass.
This suggests adopting a Mavericks-style approach—partnering Doncic with a strong two-way wing like Reaves and adding complementary players—could work.
However, the 2026 free agent class is weak defensively. Could veterans like Draymond Green or injury-prone Robert Williams III be lured to Los Angeles? The Lakers may need to be creative with trades, future draft picks, or even dealing Reaves to acquire necessary 3-and-D wings, since everyone is chasing similar talent.
Lastly, there remains the question of whether Rob Pelinka is the right executive to orchestrate this rebuild, especially with new ownership that did not hire him, eager to invest heavily in winning.
Determination: Fact.
The Lakers can build a championship around Doncic, but not this season. It will take time—likely years—but they have the necessary asset. Doncic, now 26, is under contract through 2028-29. (Thank you, Nico.)
Fan Take: This analysis matters because it highlights how building a championship around a transcendent star like Luka Doncic requires more than just talent—it demands the right supporting cast and organizational vision. For basketball fans, watching how the Lakers navigate this challenge in the coming years will shape the NBA’s competitive landscape and could redefine what it takes to win with a superstar in today’s game.
