The Los Angeles Lakers have been absolutely careless with the basketball. Even amid a respectable start to the new season, from a record standpoint, this area will definitively keep them from hanging with the best in the West until they undeniably clean it up.
JJ Redick called out his transition defense in the preseason, using some colorful language to describe the issue. While the Lakers have been fine in the standard fastbreak points given up, they are also feeding their opponents golden opportunities with turnovers, failing to get back and reposition themselves.
Championship teams do not have these kinds of glaring flaws. If that is still the goal in Los Angeles at season's end, there is a lot of work to be done before the Lakers can really consider themselves a contender when the 2026 NBA Playoffs eventually arrive.
Lakers are literally gifting their opponents opportunities to beat them
The Lakers' issues with turnovers have already been alluded to around here. It is one of the main reasons as to why LeBron James will be a welcomed, and needed, presence upon his return. Los Angeles should greatly benefit from that type of stabilizing force offensively.
Turnover percentage is a category in which the Lakers continue to struggle. They have trended towards the bottom of the NBA for the majority of the season to this point. Their assist to turnover ration has likewise been lackluster.
What is the result of that? Giftwrapped buckets for the opponent.
The Lakers are right near some of the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to opponents points off turnovers. They have experienced a massive drop-off from 2024-25, when they ranked a respectable 12th in that category.
The brutal beatdown they experienced by the Oklahoma City Thunder served as a great example of why this needs to be cleaned up. The Thunder exploited the Lakers for 20 turnovers on the night, turning it into 26 free and easy points in the process.
Oklahoma City also serves as an excellent example of why these figures matter.
They rank towards the top of the NBA in each of the categories previously discussed. They do not turn the ball over a lot, they have a great assist to turnover ratio, and they are not getting burned on giveaways often.
That was a big part of the formula that won them a championship last season. In 2024-25, the Thunder ranked first in all of those metrics during the regular season. They were simply not a unit that was going to give their opponents a ton of extra chances to beat them.
The Lakers have not been molded in that mindset. At the very least, the results do not show as much. Until they are, they will consistently be getting in their own way on a nightly basis.