For weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers’ issues have felt obvious but unspoken. Defensive breakdowns, disorganization on offense, and an erosion of accountability have fueled a slide that reached its lowest point on Christmas Day, when the Houston Rockets exposed L.A. in a lopsided loss.
Afterward, head coach JJ Redick stopped dancing around the problem.
“I really believe in getting back to basics and understanding the needs of the team and each guy, creating more clarity,” Redick said Saturday. “I know having played that what can seem very simple up there isn’t simple once you’re in real time and live action. It’s not going to happen in a day, but we have to get back to building our defensive fundamentals.”
The Lakers entered the weekend having lost three straight games and six of their last ten. Defense, more than anything, has driven the decline. Los Angeles ranks 26th in defensive rating (118.1), allows opponents to shoot 48.6 percent from the field, and gives up an NBA-worst 38.4 percent from three-point range.
Those numbers reflect a team that has lacked cohesion — and urgency.
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JJ Redick Shoulders Lakers Responsibility
Rather than deflect blame, Redick pointed inward, particularly regarding the offense since LeBron James returned from injury.
“Since we’ve gotten Bron back, we haven’t been as organized offensively. Too many random possessions,” Redick said. “That’s on me. It’s those three things: defensive clarity, role clarity, and offensive organization.”
The challenge, however, extends beyond the scheme. James has been on the floor for lineups, allowing 121.9 points per 100 possessions this season — the worst defensive mark on the roster. Luka Dončić’s defensive engagement has also come under scrutiny, placing Redick in the uncomfortable position of balancing leadership, accountability, and lineup decisions around two generational stars.
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Lakers Leaders Set the Tone — On and Off the Floor
That tension surfaced again Sunday night, but this time, the Lakers response matched the message.
LeBron James and Dončić powered the Lakers past Sacramento, ending the losing streak with a dominant performance. James went 11-of-13 from the field for 24 points, while Dončić poured in a team-high 34, including 15 in the second quarter as L.A. seized control.
“I don’t want to create the narrative of (just) me and Luka,” James said. “It’s five guys on the floor and seven guys that come off the bench. It needs to be all of us. (But) it’s important that we set the tone.”
Dončić echoed that sentiment, especially with Austin Reaves expected to miss at least a month with a calf strain.
“I think it definitely starts with us,” Dončić said. “We need to show what we can do and if we are going to do it, we both are going to do it. The group is going to follow.”
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New Energy, New Questions
One of the night’s surprises came from Lakers two-way guard Nick Smith Jr., who scored 21 points in 24 minutes and made his first seven shots.
“In this league, you got to have confidence,” Smith said. “If you don’t, they’ll go out there and see it right away. I feel like I can hoop with the best of them.”
His emergence adds another wrinkle for Redick as he searches for the right combinations around James and Dončić — and answers a lingering question the Lakers can no longer avoid:
Can this accountability, clarity, and effort become habits — or was Sunday just a moment?