Earlier this season, the Los Angeles Lakers ran into a somewhat enviable issue when its three stars struggled to produce winning minutes while sharing the court. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves ranked near the bottom of the NBA in defensive rating, thus offsetting the progress they'd made offensively.
Fast forward to March and the narrative still exists that the stars are struggling to play together. The thing is: The numbers are telling a different story entirely.
Conventional wisdom would certainly imply that the Lakers should have a surplus of defensive-minded players flanking Doncic and whomever his co-star may be. James is a perfectly viable option for the co-starring role, albeit with pending unrestricted free agency and age operating as factors the Lakers must consider.
With respect to James, it's 27-year-old guard Austin Reaves, however, whom most have accepted as Doncic's co-star—due in no small part to his comparative youth and the fact that he's expected to re-sign on a massive new contract this summer.
As such, applying facts that were once true to the trio would quickly reveal that they need to be split up. The logical approach would thus be to prioritize the future when the present gap isn't at all drastic, thus making Reaves the starter at the 2 and James the sixth man to create a healthier balance on defense.
The one fact that the critics of the Lakers' star trio seem to be overlooking, however, is that Doncic, James, and Reaves have turned a corner. There just hasn't been any fanfare.
The narrative no longer fits, but Lakers' star trio still has question marks
Doncic, James, and Reaves have now played 661 possessions together in 2025-26, per Cleaning the Glass. During that time, they've ranked in the 54th percentile with a positive net rating of +0.6 and have climbed all the way to the 82nd percentile in defensive rating at 111.5.
The unfortunate hurdle is that their offensive games seem to be less than complementary, as they also rank in the 28th percentile in offensive rating.
Many have pointed out that a lineup built around Doncic and Reaves, and without James, tends to give the Lakers more versatility. They have fresher legs along the wings and interior, and are thus able to play a more complementary style.
The uncomfortable truth is that those individuals would be correct, as the Lakers rank in the 91st percentile in net rating through 878 possessions when Doncic and Reaves are on the court but James isn't.
The uncomfortable uncertainty is founded in the untapped potential that simply can't be ignored.
Lakers are better without LeBron, but have also made progress with him
Therein lies the dilemma that head coach JJ Redick now faces. He's challenged the stars to improve on defense and they've stepped up to do exactly that despite their reputations being that of lackluster defenders. Unfortunately, Doncic and Reaves are still significantly more effective without James on the court.
To make matters worse, the Lakers rank in the 37th percentile in net rating through 1,112 possessions when Doncic and James are on the court without Reaves.
One simply can't help but acknowledge that the Doncic-James-Reaves trio has already proven it can improve on its weaknesses. Considering the last remaining hurdle is to fix the offense, it thus feels premature to write off three of the best offensive players in the NBA.
The time may ultimately come for the Lakers to make a change, but with a vast improvement on defense and too much offensive talent to write off, patience is still a virtue.
Keep in mind: James isn't just a former superstar who can still offer tremendous production to his team. He's one of the greatest postseason performers to ever live and averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.8 blocks during the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
As such, the fix isn't quite as simple as it seems. The Lakers must decide: Is the progress made worth believing in? Or are they really willing to risk alienating an all-time great with present value?