The Los Angeles Lakers will never get over the hump until they truly invest in defense. It's a harsh reality that boils down to the simple fact that Los Angeles is tasking veterans with performing above their baseline in order to mask self-created flaws and weaknesses.
Until Rob Pelinka stops expecting players with questionable defensive track records to pick up the slack for the stars who share the same distinction, the Lakers will never truly contend.
The list of players whom Pelinka has gambled on being able to change core elements of their reputations has grown beyond reason. Each have admittedly been better than advertised, but none have been truly elite defenders, particularly at the point of attack.
The current roster includes at least three of said players in Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes—all of whom are better than advertised but by no means defensive specialists.
Each of Ayton, Hachimura, and Hayes have been positioned at some point in their tenure to take on the role of a defensive specialist. Ayton and Hayes have been asked to anchor the defensive interior, while Hachimura has been positioned to thrive at the point of attack. Unfortunately, all three have been miscast.
Though there are fair criticisms of the players themselves, the fact remains that the Lakers are expecting them to become what they've never been before—and the results are thus inevitable.
Lakers keep signing average defenders in hopes they can be elite
Had the Lakers constructed a roster that's flush with quality defenders, perhaps the aforementioned trio wouldn't be singled out. They could thrive in a culture that's built on defense alongside players who are strong enough on that end of the floor to accentuate their strengths and even mask their weaknesses.
For a Lakers team that insists on building around a big three who all struggle on defense, however, Pelinka's insistence that average defenders can become great is destroying their title hopes.
Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves need to become at least average defenders if the Lakers hope to contend. That much is unavoidable. Even if that were to transpire, however, the lack of players who truly excel at the point of attack and along the defensive interior remains a pressing issue.
Rather than hoping that quality players can become elite in their respective roles, Los Angeles must stop forcing itself to rely on overachievement.
Lakers' neglect of draft, importance of cap space crushing its dreams
One of the primary reasons the Lakers have struggled in this regard is how they've disregarded the value of the NBA Draft. Giving up multiple first-round draft picks for Anthony Davis was one thing, but parting with others for D'Angelo Russell, Dennis Schröder, and Russell Westbrook borders on unforgivable.
It certainly doesn't help that the Lakers continue to struggle to maximize the value of the picks they've been left with, thus making it even more difficult to develop talent internally.
To make matters worse, the Lakers have entered consecutive offseasons with virtually no cap space. They've been forced to rely on minimum contracts and exceptions to bolster the rotation, thus inevitably resulting in their missing out on top defensive talent,
The vicious cycle is now continuing as the Lakers peruse the trade market for a point of attack specialist whom they'd likely need to give up yet another first-round draft pick to acquire.
Perhaps Pelinka will find a way to right this wrong, complete a trade for a high-level defender without losing draft picks, and preserve the Lakers' long-awaited 2026 cap space. In that scenario, he would be learning from past mistakes and setting Los Angeles on a better course.
Until Pelinka stops putting the Lakers in the same position, however, the odds of truly contending will be painfully low as the defense inevitably continues to suffer.