The Los Angeles Lakers are winning more games than they are losing, yet the mood around the team has been far from satisfied.
An 18-7 start has them sitting third in the Western Conference, but beneath that strong record lies an issue that has followed them from game to game. Defense has not traveled with the wins.
That disconnect recently prompted a pointed conversation from head coach JJ Redick, one that Luka Doncic said was directed squarely at the team’s leaders.
The message was not subtle. If the Los Angeles Lakers want to look like more than a talented but flawed contender, the defensive edge has to come from the top of the roster.
The numbers explain the urgency. Los Angeles currently sits 20th in defensive rating, a jarring position for a team built around championship expectations.
Opponents have found easy opportunities in transition, with the Los Angeles Lakers ranking 23rd in fast-break points allowed. Perimeter defense has also been a problem, as Los Angeles is 28th in opponent three-point percentage.
JJ Redick addressed those issues internally, and Luka Doncic acknowledged that the conversation landed.
“It was good. We talked about a lot – not just that,” Luka Doncic said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “But he was right. You got to get a little bit more, especially from the star players. So that’s on us, that’s on me.”
Rather than framing it as criticism, Luka Doncic described it as a necessary checkpoint. With stars like himself, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves carrying the offense nightly, JJ Redick wants the same urgency to show up defensively, especially early in games.
Phoenix win showed progress, but also the same old cracks
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ first game after that meeting came against the Phoenix Suns, and the result was a reminder of both their ceiling and their vulnerability.
Los Angeles jumped out to a commanding lead, at one point up by 20, only to let Phoenix storm back and turn the game into a late-night scramble. The Los Angeles Lakers ultimately held on for a 116-114 win, but not without needing timely defensive stops in the final moments.
For Luka Doncic, the performance was imperfect but encouraging.
“And we just got to get more, especially at the start of the game,” he said. “We got to start the game better. But I think in Phoenix, we did a pretty good job. You know, the plan was to focus on ourselves and [have a] defensive mentality. I think we did a pretty good job.”
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