The Los Angeles Lakers hit the All-Star break sitting at 33-21, a solid mark that’s even more impressive considering how little time their top trio has spent on the court together. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves have logged just 10 games as a unit this season due to a string of injuries, but Doncic believes the best is yet to come.
“First of all, just staying together,” Doncic said during a recent SportsCenter appearance. “Obviously, we have three main ball-handlers: me, Austin, and LeBron.
I think we can be a very, very dangerous team. We haven’t had much time to play together since everyone had been injured a little bit, but I’m excited after All-Star.
We all get to play together.”
That optimism comes despite Doncic himself being the latest to hit the injury report, missing the Lakers’ final four games before the break with a left hamstring strain. The good news? He’s expected to suit up for the All-Star Game and be ready to roll when the regular season resumes.
And when Doncic is healthy, he’s been nothing short of electric. The Slovenian superstar is averaging 32.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game this season.
Those numbers aren’t just eye-popping-they’re MVP-caliber. Doncic has never won the award, though he finished third in voting in 2024.
If he keeps this pace and meets the eligibility criteria, he’s tracking toward another top-three finish, if not more.
Still, there are real questions about how far this Lakers team can go once the postseason lights come on.
Last year, they entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and were bounced in the first round by the Timberwolves in just five games. That early exit exposed a harsh truth: the Lakers just haven’t been a reliable defensive team.
And while there’s been some improvement lately, the numbers still tell a concerning story. Their 116.6 defensive rating ranks 23rd in the league-far from championship-level.
They’ve especially struggled against younger, more athletic squads that can push the pace and exploit mismatches. And at the trade deadline, the front office didn’t exactly shore up that weakness. The lone addition was Luke Kennard, a sharpshooter from Atlanta who can stretch the floor but won’t help much on the defensive end.
That’s not to say Kennard doesn’t bring value-he’ll open up driving lanes and give LeBron and Doncic more room to operate-but defense remains the elephant in the room. In today’s NBA, you can’t just outscore your problems when the playoffs arrive.
History backs that up: of the six NBA champions in the 2020s, five ranked in the top 10 in defensive rating. The lone exception?
The 2022-23 Nuggets, who were 15th-and still a much better defensive unit than this year’s Lakers.
The offensive firepower is there. Between Doncic’s scoring wizardry, LeBron’s playmaking brilliance, and Reaves’ versatility, the Lakers can hang with anyone on the scoreboard.
But hanging with teams isn’t enough in May and June. You have to get stops.
Head coach JJ Redick has done a commendable job keeping this team afloat through the injury turbulence, and sitting fifth in the West despite all the missed games is a testament to that. But the second half of the season will be a different kind of test-one that will demand cohesion, health, and a serious uptick in defensive intensity.
Doncic and LeBron have both silenced critics before, and if they’re healthy and locked in, they’re capable of making noise. But for now, the Lakers are a team with sky-high potential and a few glaring questions.
The talent is undeniable. The chemistry is building.
The defense? That’s the piece that could make or break their postseason run.