The Los Angeles Lakers have been a mixed bag of late, picking up a buzzer-beating win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday evening to bring a recent three-game losing streak to a close. LeBron James hasn't been playing particularly well since returning from a groin injury, but he was able to get the game-winning putback on a missed Luka Doncic floater to get the Lakers back in the win column vs Indiana.
While the Lakers' were widely praised for their acquisition of Doncic, one immediate concern for the team was how they would hold up on defense. After a solid start, Los Angeles has started to falter in that department of late, and recently, NBA insider Tim McMahon of ESPN broke down why.
“This is a flawed roster from a defensive perspective,” said McMahon on NBA Today. “They don't have a true rim protector. They're closing games with Dorian Finney-Smith at the five. Luka Doncic, if you protect him in the right kind of scheme, he can be an effective part of a team defense. They don't have the pieces around him.”
An inevitable issue for the Lakers
Related Los Angeles Lakers NewsArticle continues below
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) shoots the ball while Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
The Lakers don't have any players on their roster who would be considered elite on both sides of the floor (at least at this stage of their careers), which has made it somewhat of a challenge for head coach JJ Redick to produce lineups that have enough offensive firepower but can still get stops.
A backcourt of Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic was always going to struggle with point of attack defense, but those concerns have been exacerbated by the Lakers' lack of a true rim protector following their trade of Anthony Davis. The Pacers exploited this weakness during a furious rally in the final minutes Wednesday evening prior to James' game winner.
In any case, the Lakers will be looking for a little bit of get-back against the Chicago Bulls, who routed them last week in Los Angeles–on Thursday night. That game is slated to tip off at 8:00 PM ET.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Jackson Stone is a sports journalist for ClutchPoints with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, and CAA Football. The Mercer University senior from Atlanta is on track to graduate with a BA in communications, and he has bylines at FanSided and USA Today Sports' Georgia athletics website.