The Lakers are sitting at a solid 19-9 on the season, but don’t let that record fool you - there’s a growing concern brewing beneath the surface. After Tuesday’s 132-108 loss to the Suns in Phoenix, the numbers paint a troubling picture on the defensive end.
L.A.’s defensive rating now stands at 117.6 - 24th in the league - and the six teams below them in that category? None of them have cracked double-digit wins.
That’s not the kind of company a contender wants to keep.
Head coach JJ Redick didn’t sugarcoat it postgame. He knows his team has the offensive firepower to hang with anyone, but the defensive effort?
That’s where things are slipping, and Redick made it clear - this isn’t about schemes or film sessions. It’s about effort, consistency, and the choices players make in the heat of the moment.
“We practice this stuff enough,” Redick said. “We review it.
We watch film. At some point, it just comes down to making the choice - the hard choice - to sprint back, to make the second effort, to do the tough thing instead of the easy one.”
That’s the kind of message that resonates in a locker room, especially when it comes from a coach who carved out a long NBA career by doing the little things right. But Redick’s message also hints at a deeper issue: a lack of physical, high-motor players who bring that edge night in and night out.
And that’s where this year’s roster composition comes into focus.
Internally, there’s belief that this squad has a higher ceiling than last year’s group. Luka Doncic is more comfortable in L.A., and the offensive talent around him is undeniable. But as Dan Woike reports, the team is missing the kind of high-energy, defensive-minded role players that helped set the tone last season - players like Dorian Finney-Smith and Jordan Goodwin, who were midseason additions in 2024-25 and brought a noticeable jolt of intensity.
The Lakers did make a splash in free agency by signing former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, and when he’s been on the floor, the impact has been real. In Smart’s 523 minutes this season, the Lakers have posted a defensive rating of 111.9 - good enough to rank among the top five in the league.
The problem? That number jumps to 119.1 when he’s off the court.
Smart didn’t hold back when asked about the team’s current defensive state.
“We’re being real s-ty right now, and it’s showing,” he said bluntly. “Every team goes through it, trying to figure things out. You just hope it happens early enough that you can fix it before it’s too late.”
Smart pointed to the same issues Redick highlighted - giving up offensive rebounds at critical moments, allowing opponents to get wherever they want on the floor, and a general lack of help and urgency. “There’s really no scheme that can cover for that,” he said. “It’s on us.”
And that’s the heart of the issue. The Lakers know what’s wrong.
They’re not confused. They’re not lost.
They’re just not doing it - not consistently, not collectively, and not with the kind of urgency you need if you’re serious about chasing a title.
With the trade deadline looming just over six weeks away, there’s already some internal doubt that the fix is going to come from within. As Woike notes, last season’s defensive spark came from in-season moves. Don’t be surprised if the front office is once again scouring the market for players who can bring grit, toughness, and a defensive mindset to a roster that - right now - just isn’t getting enough stops.
The Lakers have the talent. They have the star power.
But until the defense catches up, they’re playing with fire. And in a loaded Western Conference, that’s a dangerous game.