Even with all the changes for the Los Angeles Lakers, there will still be modest expectations to be a championship-caliber team in 2026-27. Any half-decent team with Luka Doncic should be capable of that much. What could hold them back from those goals? For many, it would be the defensive end.
Scouts are already poking good fun at the Lakers defense. The likes of Doncic and Austin Reaves have long been doubted on that end. Even team reporters like Jovan Buha thought the model for success would be average defense with an elite offense.
Thankfully for the Lakers, with that last sentiment comes a clear team to replicate for championship glory. That would be the Denver Nuggets.
Nuggets' 2022-23 campaign can be the blueprint the Lakers are seeking
Buha thought the Lakers could aim toward being a top-five offense and an average unit on defense. That is exactly what the Nuggets were during the regular season when they won their championship in 2022-23.
Denver boasted an elite attack with an offensive rating of 116.8 (5th) during that campaign. They held things together on the other end with a defensive rating of 113.5, good for 15th in the NBA. It was nothing special, but it got the job done when paired with all their potent bucket-getting abilities.
Both teams also boast MVP-level superstars who dominate the offensive end at the forefront, but that will be more relevant later.
What is more significant for the Lakers to keep in mind here is the Nuggets turned it up on defense when the 2023 NBA Playoffs started. Denver boasted a top-five unit on that end during the postseason run, with a defensive rating of 110.2.
It was not about sustained success on the back end for the Nuggets in 2023. However, they locked in on defense when it mattered most. That is something the Lakers should be capable of replicating.
Luka Doncic must provide his best Nikola Jokic impression in the playoffs
The Lakers should have the pieces in place defensively to believe they can crank it up for 16 postseason wins. Just as important to upping the defense will be having Doncic go from unguardable to downright nuclear.
A big part of Denver's 2023 run was just how unstoppable Nikola Jokic was. No one could cover the all-time great. Opposing teams tried everything under the sun, and it did not matter.
Doncic is capable of playing that type of basketball, and the Lakers will need it in the spring of 2027. Los Angeles will need the kind of Luka Magic they saw during stretches like March 2026 when he looked like the most dominant offensive force on the planet.
If the Lakers get that version of Doncic to go with a timely defensive uptick and a continuously humming offense, the hopes of banner number 18 will be alive and well.
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