Analyst Says Lakers Big Missing Piece Could Be Key To Unlocking 2025-26 LeBron-Luka

Support Our Fight To End Fall Weddings

To their credit, the Lakers began leaning on the action more once the postseason arrived. According to Kram, the duo’s pick rate doubled to 9.2 per 100 possessions in the playoffs — though nearly all of those came with James screening for Luka. The results were instant. Whenever a Dončić-James pick led directly to a shot, foul, or turnover, the Lakers averaged better than 1.2 points per play.

So why not lean into it more? That was the question Lakers fans screamed into message boards during their series against Minnesota. As one frustrated fan wrote, “First possession of the 4th, LeBron sets a pick for Luka, ending in an Austin [Reaves] 3. I thought here we [go] but they don’t go back to it until much later … and that’s the only two times they played this in the entire series. I am absolutely baffled by this.”

It’s a fair criticism. In a must-win scenario, when isolation sets for Luka bogged down, the simplest and most effective action on the floor was barely touched.

What’s Holding Them Back?

Some argue age and fatigue. James is 40 and still being asked to anchor the defense, score as a secondary option, and log heavy minutes. Using him as a rim-running screener every possession is unrealistic. Others point to the lack of a lob threat or floor-spacing big alongside them. Had Rob Pelinka landed Brook Lopez instead of Deandre Ayton this summer, t he geometry of the pick-and-roll would look very different.

The other factor? Luka himself. As Kram noted, Dončić set just 0.6 screens per 100 possessions for James — essentially an unused weapon. That has to change. “In order for the Lakers to truly maximize the league’s most unfair superstar advantage, that love needs to go both ways,” Kram observed.

Roster Help — But Not Enough?

Pelinka has already tinkered, adding Ayton and Marcus Smart through buyouts. But as ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel cautioned, “It’s hard to buy into the notion that the Lakers have drastically improved their pursuit of a championship this offseason with the additions of Smart and Ayton.”

The missing piece remains a two-way wing. Andrew Wiggins, Aaron Nesmith, or even Malik Monk have been floated as possible trade targets — each offering spacing, defense, or bench scoring to balance an offense that too often stalls. As Jason Timp f of Hoops Tonight put it, the Lakers need “one of the top-10 apex defenders you could put on an opposing star in a playoff series” or a reliable shooter who forces defenses to pay.

The Path Forward

The blueprint isn’t complicated. James and Dončić together form one of the league’s most dangerous tandems. But until the Lakers commit to spamming their two-man game, their ceiling remains lower than it should be.

There are no excuses this time. A full training camp looms, and the data is clear: the LeBron-Luka pick-and-roll is the Lakers’ cheat code. They just need to use it.

The Lakers built this roster to chase Banner 18. If they keep ignoring their most unguardable play, it might be another season of falling short.