Wednesday felt more like a nightmare for the Lakers. At least, Charlotte made sure of it. Their strategy was clear—hunt down Luka Doncic. The new Laker is still working to improve the narrative around his defensive skills, but Charlotte exposed his supposed weakness in front of the 19,000 Crypto.com Arena supporters. And in an instant, their faces turned pale.
Before the sting of the loss could settle in, the team had to prepare for a back-to-back night in Portland. But head coach JJ Redick wasn’t about to let his team repeat the same mistakes. So, he used a “cheat code” that let him secure a 110-102 victory last night. Later, when the mic turned towards him, he didn’t hesitate to reveal more about the team’s defense and offense.
“I had this revelation, like I don’t know, six weeks ago, two months ago, and the math stuff it’s important. Like, it really is,” Redick told the media in the press conference. “You know, try to generate high value shots, you strategize around throw heads and what those create, like all that stuff, it’s super important. You game plan defensively, it’s all important. Guys have to communicate, all that stuff.”
While advanced tactics come in handy, Redick believes one principle overrides everything else.
“There’s only actually one cheat code in the NBA, and that’s playing hard,” Redick added. “If you play hard every night, you have a chance to win. If you don’t play hard every night, you’re probably going to lose.” That’s the fundamental rule. According to the Lakers’ head coach, playing with intensity every night gives a team a chance to win, as he highlighted with Chauncey Billups’ team, the Trail Blazers.
Even the Lakers demonstrated that approach. They were a much better team than the day before, with Redick playing his cards just right, dropping Doncic from the roster. Was it because of his defensive shortcomings? While JJ Redick didn’t elaborate on that, LeBron James clarified what the Slovenian meant to the franchise.
LeBron James sheds light on Luka Doncic’s role in Lakers
When LeBron was asked about what was important for the Lakers as they face Doncic in the next game, he said, “It’s not just next game. It’s gonna be a process for us for the rest of the season, obviously.” The 40-year-old spoke about how crucial it is to keep improving as a team on both ends of the court. “As you continue to learn, you know what we want to do offensively, defensively, our system, our calls, our cadence.”
Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Ultimately, what would make the team stronger is input from the 25-year-old. “We got also figure out and learn from him as well because he’s such a great, unbelievable talent and you know, we need to be able to play with him just as much you need to play with us you know offensively, defensively and all facets of the ball,” LeBron stated.
It’s clear Doncic has work to do, but context matters. According to Brian Windhorst, Los Angeles was actually on their best defensive stretch in two years before the trade. “When they made this trade, they were playing their best defense since they went to the Conference Finals two years ago,” Windy pointed out on First Take. “JJ Redick had gotten them into a place that last 10 or 15 games, they were a top-five defense. This is a team that was bottom 10 for the first, you know, half of the season! … But their team is now off balance.”
The reason? They lost their two best defensive players—Anthony Davis and Max Christie. AD was the backbone of their interior defense, and Christie had stepped up as their best perimeter defender. Without them, the Lakers have struggled to find defensive stability, even with Jarred Vanderbilt still on the roster.
And then there’s Doncic—who isn’t just adjusting mentally, but physically. “If you watch the game last night, he doesn’t have his legs underneath them. It is very clear,” Windhorst pointed out.
LeBron echoed that sentiment postgame, recognizing Dončić is still ramping up after missing extended time. “This is his third game since Christmas. … He still doesn’t know all the plays, he doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals and things that we’ve built since September,” the NBA’s all-time scorer rightly noted. “We’re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He’s getting back into form, and we’re all working through it together.”
While that’s well and good, let’s be real: defense has never been Luka’s calling card. Dallas knew that which is why they built a safety net around him—big, athletic defenders like Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively, PJ Washington, and Derrick Jones Jr. The Lakers? They don’t have that luxury.
And to make things trickier, they already have to account for a 40-year-old LeBron, who, while still dominant, isn’t locking guys up like he used to. Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves put in the effort defensively, but they’re not exactly a wall behind Luka either. And Charlotte took full advantage of that.
If you remember, they zeroed in on Doncic, forcing the Lakers’ other defenders to scramble. It was a page straight out of the Celtics’ Finals playbook—attack Luka, wear him down, and make the guys behind him clean up the mess. And you better believe the rest of the league took notes.
As such, the Lakers have two options: adapt or suffer. The ‘Big D’ built a safety net around Luka Doncic for a reason. And without one in LA, opponents will keep picking at the cracks. If JJ Redick & Co. doesn’t adjust—whether by scheme, effort, or roster tweaks—Doncic’s weakness will be a constant target.
And in a loaded West, that’s a problem the Purple & Gold cannot afford to ignore!
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