Byron Scott isn’t buying the Lakers’ Big 3 talk.
Los Angeles may be rolling out Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler as its new trio, but the former Lakers guard and coach pushed back hard on that label during the latest episode of Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast.
“That ain’t a Big 3 [laughs],” Scott said. “They got a Big One and a Half… I mean, look, they’re 3-0 and everybody in LA is, man, Western Conference Finals.
Y’all need to slow your roll first of all. I mean, they played the Clippers, the Warriors, and the Utah Jazz.
Let’s wait a couple of weeks. Again, we got to see them against Minnesota, OKC, Denver, San Antonio, Houston.”
Scott’s message was simple: the Lakers’ hot start is nice, but the real tests are still ahead. Los Angeles opened 3-0 and is now 5-2, with wins coming against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers twice, the Toronto Raptors without Kawhi Leonard, and the Utah Jazz.
“We got to see them against the top tier of the Western Conference,” Scott said. “But you got to like the way they’re playing ’cause Walker Kessler is doing exactly what he was brought here to do.
Protecting the rim, he’s scoring. He’s scoring in that paint, he’s setting great picks, he’s getting to that basket.
They’re throwing lobs to him, so good. I mean, right now they look pretty good.
“But again, I’m still waiting for them to get the upper echelon of the top teams in the Western Conference,” Scott continued. “‘Cause again, just like me and [Olden Polynice] said from day one, it’s going to be on the defensive end that really tells the story when this is all said and done.”
That defensive side is exactly why Kessler was brought in. The Lakers landed him from the Jazz in a sign-and-trade, paying two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps before handing him a four-year, $130 million deal.
Kessler has given them solid production so far, averaging 14.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.9 blocks per game in 2026-27. Still, he’s not a superstar, and he’s not the kind of player who automatically turns a good team into a true Big 3 situation.
The bigger issue for Scott is that the Lakers haven’t actually looked like a defensive force yet. Their 113.9 defensive rating ranks 20th in the NBA, which is the same spot they finished last season.
Offensively, though, they’ve been excellent. Their 119.9 offensive rating ranks second, and Doncic is driving that surge. He’s putting up 37.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in 2026-27, and he’s been every bit as dominant as the numbers suggest.
Reaves has also been productive, but not at the same level. He’s averaging 23.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, though his play has dipped after a scorching start and he’s been coughing the ball up too often.
Until Reaves settles in and the defense takes a real step forward, Scott’s verdict holds: this looks more like a Big One and a Half than a Big 3.
And even if Reaves does find another gear, Scott still isn’t ready to call the Lakers contenders. For him, it comes back to the same thing every time: defense.
If that side of the floor improves as the season goes on, the conversation changes. If it doesn’t, the Lakers may look good early and still fall short when the playoffs arrive.
In Other News...
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Luka Doncic kept dragging the Lakers through another tight night, and the 131-125 win over Toronto only added to the sense that every game seems to come with a fresh discussion about how much he is carrying. He piled up 45 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, giving Los Angeles the kind of all-around production that can cover for uneven stretches elsewhere in the rotation.
Walker Kessler was one of the few other steady presences, finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds while also making his mark on the defensive end. He praised Doncics defensive intelligence, which is part of what makes these nights so interesting for the Lakers: the star is doing so much on one end that his value keeps expanding beyond the box score, even as the rest of the roster continues to have its share of mixed results. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Doncic Had Extra Fire In A Huge Lakers Bounce-Back Win
Luka Doncic gave the Lakers exactly the kind of response they needed in a 131-125 bounce-back win over the Raptors, piling up 45 points with 15 rebounds, six assists, five steals and a block. He did it with the kind of efficiency that has become his calling card, hitting 12 of 23 shots, knocking down eight of 12 from deep and going a perfect 13 for 13 at the line.
It was the 71st 40-point game of Doncics career, another reminder of how quickly he can take over a night when the Lakers need a jolt. And while the box score already told a big story, the game carried an extra edge around one tense sequence that helped fuel the emotion behind his latest standout performance. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Doncics Hot Streak Is Exposing A Bigger Lakers Problem
Luka Doncic has been carrying the Lakers offense through a recent stretch that has only sharpened the conversation around how much help he is getting. He has turned in several huge scoring nights lately, including a season-high 52 points against the Utah Jazz, and the Lakers have still gone just 1-2 over their last three games.
The bigger issue is starting to look familiar: beyond Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have struggled to find reliable offensive support on a night-to-night basis. When Doncic is scoring at that level, the expectation is that the rest of the roster can at least help turn those performances into wins, but the recent results suggest that balance is still missing. [Read more 🡒]