Concerning flaws Lakers must correct to sustain hot start to 2024-25 season

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NBA this season. Assuming they maintain their current quality and form, Rob Pelinka will be vindicated for believing a change at head coach and acing the NBA Draft were the necessary steps to elevate the roster.

In order for the Lakers to sustain their early success, however, first-year head coach JJ Redick will need to correct the flaws they won't be able to evade forever.

Los Angeles has been a revelation in 2024-25, getting off to a 10-4 start to the season that few saw coming. While most were busy projecting the Lakers as a team that will struggle to make the playoffs, Redick was altering the culture and very identity of the franchise.

That all began when he boldly declared that the offense would run through Anthony Davis instead of LeBron James—a shift in priorities that has Davis in the race for MVP.

For as encouraging as the team's success has been, there are several areas in which the Lakers have underperformed. Injuries admittedly play a factor, as the likes of Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Wood have all missed multiple games in 2024-25.

True as that may be, the Lakers will only enter the realm of the contenders if they're able to fix the flaws that are dooming their defese.

Lakers must improve on defense for hot start to translate to playoffs

Los Angeles is currently No. 24 in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing an abhorrent 117.0 points per 100 possessions. By comparison, the No. 15 team in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks, is giving up 112.6 points per 100 possessions.

It's early enough that statistics must be taken with a grain of salt, but that 4.4-point divide is a shining example of how far the Lakers are from even reaching the middle of the pack.

The first reason for Los Angeles' shortcomings is an all-too-familiar issue: Defensive rebounding. The Lakers currently rank No. 23 in second-chance points allowed and No. 26 in defensive rebounding percentage.

That flaw has followed the purple and gold across multiple seasons, and if they continue to allow teams to create second chances at virtual will, another early exit from the playoffs will be the result.

Equal in importance to defensive rebounding is how poorly the Lakers have performed in transition. They're creating and converting chances at an elite clip, ranking No. 9 in fast-break points, but are currently No. 29 in fast-break points allowed.

The Lakers have shown flashes of brilliance on defense in the halfcourt, but they're routinely allowing teams to generate easy points in transition and via second chances.

The third issue is admittedly tied to those flaws, which is Los Angeles ranking No. 26 in points allowed in the paint. Any time Davis isn't protecting the rim, the Lakers are at a loss—and it's too risky to bank on the return of Vanderbilt and Wood to help offset such a glaring flaw.

All three of these issues are correctable, but if the Lakers fail to improve in those vital areas, the same fate as 2023-24 could await them in 2024-25.