LOS ANGELES — The Lakers have to make some changes.
That’s how most Lakers fans felt when they left Crypto.com Arena early on Christmas Day, hoping to avoid heavy traffic after a third straight loss. Lakers head coach Redick echoed that sentiment loudly after the final buzzer, and general manager Rob Pelinka may soon echo the same sentiment.
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“We don’t care enough right now,” Redick said. “That’s the part that bothers you. We don’t care enough to do those things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be professional. We don’t care enough to be professional.”
He didn’t stop there.
“It’s a matter of making a choice, and oftentimes none of us want to make that choice,” Redick added while previewing the team’s next practice. “These guys are very aligned. I told the guys, Saturday’s practice is going to be uncomfortable. The meetings are going to be uncomfortable. I’m not going to play 53 more games like this.”
For a team that entered the season believing it had the championship formula figured out, Christmas Day provided a harsh reality check.
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The NBA trade deadline is February 5, 2026, 41 days from the moment the Lakers walked off the court after a 119-96 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday. It marked their longest losing streak of the season and was a stunning comeback for a team that had not lost consecutive games before last Saturday.
That night, the Clippers lost 103-88. The Phoenix Suns defeated them 132-88 on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Rockets delivered their third punch in a 72-hour stretch that reshaped the Lakers’ season and exposed their ceiling.
This is not the championship team currently being assembled.
Yes, they looked like a serious contender after a 15-4 start and a 15-4 record through 19 games. But as Stan Van Gundy told me at the NBA Cup, numbers win all arguments in the end.
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“In my opinion, I don’t think they’re a true contender,” Van Gundy said after watching them lose 132-119 to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. “Their numbers say they’re mediocre. Their record says they’re really good. I just don’t think they had enough in today’s game.”
And he has more.
“They don’t have the depth, they don’t have the speed and quickness to keep up,” Van Gundy continued. “When their three best players play together, their defense gets even weaker.”
He was referring to the Lakers’ high-usage trio — Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reeves — which has repeatedly failed to guard a young, fast, perimeter-driven team. Against Houston, these stars once again shared the court with starters Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura. The results are predictable.
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The Lakers’ starting lineup scored -14 points in just over eight minutes in the first half, with a defensive efficiency of 144.4. Entering the game, the team’s offensive efficiency this season was 113, its defensive efficiency was 122, and its net efficiency was -9.
“They play better when they have those two guys together,” Van Gundy said, noting the defensive imbalance when the three play together. “JJ is obviously going to rotate those guys, but they’re going to come out late in the game and all three are going to be playing. Ayton is going to be playing. And right now you can’t get perimeter defenders to go out there with them. It’s a struggle.”
Rich Paul said it first. Van Gundy confirmed this. The past 72 hours have solidified this.
The Lakers are 19-9 and in fifth place in the Western Conference, ahead of the Rockets and Suns, two teams that beat them. National hype can only hide flaws for so long. The Lakers’ fatal flaw is now their defining flaw:
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They can’t guard a young, fast team, and no team can score 120 points a night in the playoffs.
The Lakers don’t need another superstar. They checked that box with Doncic. They still got an All-NBA moment from LeBron. They will likely send Reeves to his first All-Star Game. But stars without identity — without depth, speed or defensive toughness — are just names on the marquee rather than a threat in the playoffs.
“I can’t picture them as anyone on the Thunder level,” Van Gundy said. “Denver, San Antonio and Houston are probably the next three teams, but I don’t think the Lakers are at that level yet.”
He is right.
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Good news? Pelinka still has time to fix their issues. Bad news? Time is the only thing they have. If a sense of urgency, pride and professionalism doesn’t come soon, it won’t matter who sits in an uncomfortable drill or who speaks into a microphone next.
The Lakers’ biggest problem isn’t scheme, roster or philosophy.
This is effort. This is identity. It’s so considerate
Now, they don’t do that at all.
