Pistons expose the weakness that won't stop haunting the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have shown obvious signs of progress during the 2024-25 regular season. Between the increase in off-ball motion, the MVP-level play of Anthony Davis, and the visible improvement on the offensive glass, the Lakers are setting the pace for a strong campaign.

Unfortunately, for as improved as the team appears to be, there's one flaw that's followed them from one head coach to the next—and the Detroit Pistons just obliterated the Lakers because of it.

Los Angeles traveled to Detroit for the fourth outing of its current five-game road trip. The Pistons blitzed the Lakers early and refused to let up, utilizing a balanced scoring attack to create offense at virtual will en route to a 115-103 victory.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James kept the Lakers in the game, but with their teammates shooting a combined 17-of-46 from the field, the purple and gold's fate was sealed.

The unfortunate theme of the game was that the Lakers couldn't find a way to keep the Pistons off the offensive glass. Detroit created second chances at virtual will, with six different players pulling down at least one offensive board against Los Angeles.

That speaks to the general issue the Lakers have with defensive rebounding, but the bigger revelation is that the issue that's defined the Lakers' recent shortcomings just won't go away.

Lakers have no answer for physically imposing bigs

Davis is one of the best rebounders in the NBA, as his 2023-24 average of 12.6 boards per game displays. He's also one of the top defensive players in the Association, with five All-Defense nods—and counting.

Unfortunately, the Lakers have consistently struggled against opposing big men who have a strength advantage over Davis—a flaw that runs far deeper than the future Hall of Famer's own limitations.

Los Angeles has been knocked out of the playoffs by Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in two consecutive seasons. Jokic, who's listed at 284 pounds, averaged 28.0 points and 3.7 offensive rebounds per game during those series—and his ability to physically impose his will on the Lakers' defense was instrumental to his success.

As such, it surprised no one when Lakers head coach JJ Redick directly stated that he would like to see the franchise acquire a "big bruising" center via trade.

Against Detroit, the absence of a player who fits that description reared its head when Jalen Duren decimated the Lakers' interior defense. He finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds, which doesn't necessarily scream dominance, but his eight offensive boards defined the Pistons' success.

Every time it seemed as though the Lakers had found an answer to the Pistons' hot shooting, Duren was there to overpower Redick's interior players and create second chances.

The numbers are bad enough on their own—Detroit pulled down 17 offensive rebounds and scored 22 second-chance points—but it was the manner in which it all transpired that sounded the alarm. Duren didn't just box opponents out or out-hustle the Lakers; he was physically dominant and the Lakers had zero answers based on their current personnel.

The Lakers continue to search for centers on the open market, but after a winnable game became a nightmare in Detroit, that effort must increase tenfold.