Stephen A. Smith Gets Real On Lakers' Title Chances In 2025-26

The Los Angeles Lakers have had an eventful offseason after being knocked out in the first round of the 2025 playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers have signed Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia in free agency, and Stephen A. Smith spoke about their prospects for 2025-26 during an appearance on Gil's Arena.

"The Lakers are title contenders," Smith said. "I do not think by any stretch they're favorites. I think JJ Redick did a hell of a job last year, and I think he's a damn good coach. JJ Redick has proven to be a great hire. That brother can coach, and I'm happy he got it.

"Having said that, I don't think they have the personnel to upend Oklahoma City, a healthy Dallas squad," Smith stated. "Kevin Durant's in Houston now. So if you got him with Amen Thompson, who I love, [Alperen] Sengun's still there, they could do some things. And they weren't even the ones that knocked them out.

"It was Minnesota who sent them home," Smith added. "And Ant-Man's game ain't going anywhere. He's going to continue to elevate. It's not that they're a bad team; they're a good team. I think their depth is a question mark. I think they need another legitimate scorer. And I think that there's about at least four teams in the West better than them."

The biggest question mark about the Lakers heading into the 2024-25 season was head coach JJ Redick. Redick had never even coached at the high school level, and it was a huge risk to give him the job. The gamble did pay off, though.

Redick led the Lakers to the third seed in the West with a 50-32 record, which was quite impressive. Despite that early playoff exit, it's safe to say now that they have a good head coach. 

As for the roster, well, Smith's point about needing an additional scorer is a bit of an odd one. The Lakers did struggle a bit on offense against the Timberwolves, but that's not really a major concern at the moment.

The Lakers have LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, all of whom averaged over 20 points a game in 2024-25. You'd expect the likes of Ayton and Rui Hachimura to hit double digits as well, so another scorer isn't a need at the moment.

What is a big need for the Lakers is defenders. They have looked to address that by bringing in Smart, who won Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, though, and they need to pray that the injury bug stays away.

Even if Smart is close to his best, the Lakers don't have enough great defenders, as team insider Jovan Buha pointed out. Buha stated teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves have better groups of defenders. He thinks the Lakers need to find an upgrade, and we put together a mock trade that sees them get a quality perimeter defender.

As things stand, though, the Lakers look like a team that could potentially finish fourth in the Western Conference next season and make the second round. The Thunder, Rockets, and Denver Nuggets look like the best teams in the West, and you wouldn't fancy the Lakers' chances against any of them in the postseason.