Six straight wins. Anthony Davis playing like an MVP. LeBron James defying age yet again. The Lakers are 10–6, and on paper, that looks like progress.
But as anyone following this team knows, progress doesn’t always tell the whole story.
Take last week. One night, Dalton Knecht is torching the Utah Jazz, and the Lakers look like world-beaters. The next, they’re coughing up a win to the Orlando Magic and getting run off the floor by the Denver Nuggets, who didn’t even have Aaron Gordon.
The inconsistency has fans asking the same question they’ve been asking for years: Are the Lakers for real?
JJ Redick has certainly made an impact in his first year as head coach. The offense is clicking, and his emphasis on organization and ball movement has been evident. The Lakers rank in the top 10 in passes per game — a big jump from last year — and Davis is thriving in the new system, averaging career highs in points and efficiency.
Redick’s rotations have been solid, with new additions like Knecht and a healthy Gabe Vincent providing depth. Even Austin Reaves looks like he’s taken another step forward.
But the defense? That’s another story. The Lakers rank 27th in defensive rating, and no team allows more fast-break points.
They aren’t rebounding well, they aren’t physical, and lapses in effort — like a brutal 37–15 third quarter against Denver — have been too common.
“We’ve got to be physical,” Reaves admitted. “Our personnel isn’t the best defensively, but we can control our effort.”
Redick is shouldering the blame, calling the lack of competitiveness against Denver “an aberration.” But it’s clear that injuries, particularly Jarred Vanderbilt’s slow recovery, have exposed a thin frontcourt. Davis has suggested more zone looks to patch the gaps, but even that can only go so far.
The bright side? Davis is healthy and dominant, and LeBron continues to be LeBron, averaging 23.6 points on 51.1% shooting and looking like the most athletic player on the court at nearly 40 years old.
The Lakers are competitive, no doubt. But competitive won’t cut it. If Davis is playing at an MVP level and LeBron is still this good, the expectations are higher.
This team has shown it can be great. Now the Lakers need to prove they can sustain it.
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Sam, you must learn not to disrespect the Magic. They can beat any team, any night. Wagners are world beaters. Suggs is as true a winner as they come. And when Banchero returns watch out.
As for Lakers, this is the LeBron way. You already know. It’s only December. He’s going to coast here, and fill stat sheets there. Until allstar break. Then the body treatments. Come back looking like a young monster. Make a bunch of people pay. Finish the season strong. But always reserving the right to throw hands up in the air and talk to refs instead of running back on D, as the treatments slowly wear off this increases.
As always, it’s about what side of the bed LeBron R. James wakes up on. How he’s feeling that day. What he wants to do. What works for him. Now Lakers fans are on that ride with him. As a Cavs fan, I don’t really miss it. Especially now. We got all our guys trying to be on same page every night, working collectively. Always engaged. Helps make the team watchable, and of course better. This year’s basketball is FUN!