‘An upgrade…’ NBA expert identifies LA Lakers strengths and weaknesses ahead of 2025-26 season

Jovan Buha says LA Lakers are still weak defensively

LA Lakers expert Jovan Buha spoke on NBA X SiriusXM Radio about the team he covers. The Lakers’ roster is quite literally a tale of two ends.

While Buha is a fan of the offensive potential this roster possesses, he does think that they are weak defensively compared to the best teams in the NBA.

“On paper, this should be a Top-10, if not a Top-5 offense. You got Luka, you got Austin, LeBron, Deandre, Rui, even going into Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent. You’ve got six-seven guys who can drop 15+ points on any given night.

“To me, it’s the defensive end where if you’re looking at Smart, Gabe, and Jarred Vanderbilt as your three best perimeter defenders, it’s solid.

“But when you look at what OKC has, when you look at what Minnesota has, when you look at what Houston has, I don’t really think it’s in the same class.

“So I think they’re still on the deficit on the defensive end, and that’s where I think they need to find an upgrade.”

Rob Pelinka must try to land another defensive star

Rob Pelinka signed Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart, two solid 3-&-D stars, to the team. But they, along with Jarred Vanderbilt, aren’t going to be enough to compete defensively in the NBA.

The Lakers must look at their remaining assets and see if they can find a trade asset on the market. Players like Dalton Knecht and Gabe Vincent should be on the trading block.

Knecht, in particular, has been in trade rumors after his disastrous NBA Summer League performance. If Pelinka can make a trade for another strong defender, he should jump on the opportunity.

Their current roster is strong and could cause some problems for teams in the West. But they will fall short against the elite sides in the conference.