The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the better defensive teams in the NBA over the past six weeks. Entering Thursday, Mar. 12, the Lakers had ranked No. 12 in the NBA in defensive rating since Feb. 1, thus seemingly addressing a pivotal flaw.
Unfortunately, the progress they made unraveled on Mar. 12 when the Lakers needed to endure a shootout to escape with a 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls.
A win is a win, and style points are just decorative pieces meant for subjective debates. The defense fell to pieces against Chicago, however, and it did so during the return of LeBron James from a three-game injury absence.
Though it wasn't James alone who caused the defensive problems, it's worth noting that the Lakers were coming off of wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks in which they allowed 97 and 106 points.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have allowed 120 and 130 points during James' past two appearances. Thankfully, Los Angeles had allowed no more than 113 points during each of his previous six. As such, there's reason to believe it can right the ship.
As the narrative grows that the trio of Luka Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves can't ideally coexist, however, it's on the veteran to lead this team to a course correction on defense.
LeBron James must permanently silence narrative he can't coexist with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves
The cloud hanging over the Lakers is that the Doncic and Reaves duo has been far more effective without James on the court in 2025-26. With a healthy sample size of 949 possessions, the Doncic and Reaves two-man lineup ranks in the 93rd percentile in net rating, as well as the 88th percentile in both offensive rating and defensive rating, when James isn't on the court, per Cleaning the Glass.
Add James to the mix and the Lakers are still effective, but drop to the 71st percentile in net rating and the 46th percentile in offensive rating, per Cleaning the Glass.
The defense remains strong with James on the court, contrary to the narrative that's spreading. The noise will only grow louder with more games like the clash with Chicago, however, and the distractions will thus become more difficult to ignore.
Thankfully, James can silent the arguably flawed criticism by helping the team excel on defense and thus further disproving the notion that they can't defend at an adequate level when he plays.
LeBron James must get on same defensive page with Rui Hachimura
The big question facing James is whether or not he can establish an ideal balance with Rui Hachimura. Up to this point, the four-man lineup of Doncic, Hachimura, James, and Reaves ranks in the 39th percentile in net rating and the 38th percentile in defensive rating.
When the trio of Doncic, Hachimura, and Reaves share the court without James, however, they rank in the 89th percentile in net rating and the 86th percentile in defensive rating.
With that in mind, removing Hachimura from the rotation isn't a logical option—particularly when he plays a key role as arguably the most consistent scorer the Lakers have after the star trio. Instead, James needs to take the leadership role in working with Hachimura to figure out how they can more ideally coexist.
If the Lakers superstar manages to do so, then head coach JJ Redick will have lineup flexibility come the playoffs. If not, then an early exit will become far more likely due to the rotational limitations.