Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic made a surprising request during the 2025 offseason. With the Lakers' roster nearing completion, Doncic asked general manager Rob Pelinka to sign former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart despite the injury issues that had plagued him in consecutive seasons.
Not only has Doncic been vindicated for believing in Smart, but the Lakers have been handed a golden opportunity to begin building an elite defense with a veteran in a leadership role.
Smart, 31, has appeared in 51 of the Lakers' 61 games during the 2025-26 season. That nearly matches the number of games he played between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons combined, 54, which both highlights the reward of the gamble and the adversity Smart has been forced to overcome.
In addition to being healthier and more readily available to play, the veteran has been an essential contributor on a Lakers team that lacks ideal consistency on defense.
Los Angeles has a team-best net rating of 4.5 when Smart is on the court and a team-worst mark of -3.8 when he isn't. A driving force behind that 8.3-point swing is that the Lakers are allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor and 117.0 when he isn't.
With this in mind, Los Angeles can comfortably enter free agency with the intention of bringing Smart back for the 2026-27 season—one way or another.
Lakers must ensure Marcus Smart is still on the roster in 2026-27
Los Angeles has struggled as a team on defense, but Smart's energy, effort, and intensity have consistently prevailed. That's been on full display during the Lakers' current three-game winning streak, particularly over the past two games.
Smart turned in a stellar showing during the 129-104 domination of the Sacramento Kings on Mar. 1, burying three three-point field goals and coming up with an eye-opening five steals.
A game later, Smart took his brilliance to another level. He finished with 10 points, seven assists, three rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. Throw in the two steals he recorded during the first win during Los Angeles' current streak and that brings his tally to 11 in three games.
Beyond the numbers, the past three games have epitomized how Smart checks boxes that are essential to the broader goal of establishing a healthier defensive culture.
Marcus Smart is the defensive force Lakers lack at guard
Among Lakers players who have received at least 1,000 minutes of playing time, Smart is tied with Jake LaRavia with 1.7 steals per 36 minutes.. His 3.6 deflections per 36 minutes trail only LaRavia, as well. Together, that duo has given Los Angeles some semblence of hope on defense.
That's fueled by Smart ranking in the 91st percentile in perimeter isolation defense, per Basketball Index, which measures "how well a defender lowers shot quality and suppresses attempts" in ISO settings.
Moving forward, Smart has a $5,390,700 player option for the 2026-27 season that he may ultimately choose to accept. In the event that he declines, however, Los Angeles must take a determined approach to ensuring that he at least spends next season in the purple and gold.
That may ultimately require a multi-year deal to be struck, but with the proper protections, the Lakers can easily justify investing in a three-time All-Defense honoree to continue changing the culture.