The Los Angeles Lakers sat LeBron James on the second night of a back-to-back, and it was clear they don’t have enough talent around Luka Doncic to seriously contend. The Spurs picked up the 107-91 victory on their home floor. Number 77 had 38 points and ten assists, but he was LA’s offense. The Lakers had nothing going when he sat, and that is a problem for a team hoping to win a championship.
Head coach JJ Redick is [managing King James closely](https://lakeshowlife.com/los-angeles-lakers-jj-redick-says-quiet-part-out-loud-coaching-lebron-james) to try to maximize the 41-year-old. The Lakers were also without Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Adou Thiero on Wednesday night. It is difficult to win in the NBA down three starters, but LA's lack of depth was on display against the Spurs.
Luka rested for nearly four minutes in the first half on Wednesday night, and the Lakers failed to score without him. That can’t happen for a contending team. Doncic scored 41.7 percent of the Lakers' points and had 62.5 percent of their assists against the Spurs. That is way too much reliance on one player.
Lakers' need for a trade is crystal clear without LeBron James
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There was no offense without Luka. Gabe Vincent and Nick Smith Jr. struggled off the bench. Marcus Smart was not creating shots for others, and the Lakers don’t have anywhere to turn with LeBron and AR injured.
Fans have been clamoring for a 3-and-D wing to aid the stars, but LA has several issues. They need an upgrade at the five, a backup guard improvement, and more depth on top of that defensive wing. The Lakers can’t acquire it all before the deadline. They have just one first-round pick to trade, but Rob Pelinka has to use it to upgrade their roster.
The Lakers only have Luka, LeBron, Reaves, Hachimura, Smart, LaRavia, and Ayton as trusted playoff options. Head coach JJ Redick cannot play just seven players if LA is going to win four playoff series. They need more difference-making options. It was clear against the Spurs on Wednesday night, and it is a problem every time the Lakers play a top team.
It was a poor shooting night for the Spurs, but that didn’t matter. San Antonio won comfortably because the Lakers simply did not have enough talent around their superstar to keep up.
Los Angeles is 23-12 and in the top six in the Western Conference, but they are flirting with a negative point differential. It is the Lakers' lack of talent behind their stars. They are [dominant in the clutch](https://lakeshowlife.com/los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-admits-change-allows-dominate-clutch), but they can’t rely on their stars to do it all.
The Los Angeles Lakers must make a trade before the Feb. 5 deadline to improve their roster around Luka Doncic and LeBron James. It was clear in the game against the Spurs without the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and this has been on display for most of the season. It is on Pelinka to find the right move. It won’t be easy given the Lakers' holes, but that is why the general manager makes millions. Stay tuned to see what Pelinka can pull off.