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LA Lakers won’t be title contenders until they fix crucial issue that began with Russell Westbrook signing

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 5:30 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled with a major issue over the last few years, and till they address this concern, they won’t compete for a title.

The Los Angeles Lakers have enjoyed a strong start to the season, given their limitations. The Lakers find themselves 4-2 despite LeBron James and Luka Doncic missing several games.

Austin Reaves’ historic start to the NBA season has helped the Lakers rally through their injury crisis and stay close to the top of the Western Conference.

The Lakers’ new signings, like Jake LaRavia, have earned JJ Redick’s trust and admiration. The new roster is looking like they’re gelling well together.

However, the Lakers are yet to fix a big issue they have faced over the years, dating all the way back to the arrival of Russell Westbrook.

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Los Angeles Lakers are still one of the weaker defensive teams in the NBA

To start the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have a defensive rating of 116.1, which ranks 16th across the NBA. It puts them right in the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the league.

However, this isn’t good enough if the Lakers are serious about competing for an NBA championship this season.

It is a marginal improvement over where the Lakers have been the last few seasons. The franchise has really struggled on the defensive end since the turn of the decade.

The numbers below show just how far the Lakers have fallen:

Lakers’ season (head coach)	Defensive Ratings (NBA Rank)
2019-20 (Frank Vogel)	106.3 (3rd)
2020-21 (Frank Vogel)	107.1 (1st)
2021-22 (Frank Vogel)	113.3 (21st)
2022-23 (Darvin Ham)	113.9 (11th)
2023-24 (Darvin Ham)	115.3 (16th)
2024-25 (JJ Redick)	114.7 (15th)
2025-26 (JJ Redick)	116.1 (16th)

Under Frank Vogel, the LA Lakers were top-3 in defensive rating for two seasons, including their 2019-20 NBA championship season.

But the arrival of Russell Westbrook upset the balance of the team to such an extent that they fell to being a bottom-10 defensive team in the NBA.

After Westbrook’s departure, the Lakers have hovered around the middle of the pack on the defensive end. And while that might be an improvement, that isn’t enough to help compete for a title.

Since the 2019-20 NBA season, almost every NBA championship winner has been a top-10 defensive team, with the only exception being the Denver Nuggets, who ranked 15th.

And that statistic is an anomaly, as the Nuggets’ defensive rating was the third-best in the NBA playoffs that season.

LA Lakers need to be better on the defensive end going forward

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t shambolic on the defensive end by any means. But being mediocre isn’t going to help them make a push for a championship.

Luka Doncic improved defensively with Slovenia while at the EuroBasket tournament, and has been a much-improved defender so far this season.

This is where the rest of the Lakers have to help, as they need to play some elite defense to ensure that they can find success this season.

While LeBron James is not the defender he once was, he can still be a presence on the court when he returns. But it is up to JJ Redick to address their defensive woes going forward.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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