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Luka Doncic says Lakers must improve defense as Marcus Smart promises to set tone

Originally posted on HITC | By Aikansh Chaudhary | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 11:56 AM ET

Luka Doncic spoke after the LA Lakers’ preseason closer against the Sacramento Kings about what the team was missing, and one star believes he has the answer.

The Los Angeles Lakers have wrapped up their preseason slate of games, losing to the Sacramento Kings at home.

We had our first real look at how the Lakers might line up, with several starters logging extended minutes. Luka Doncic stayed on well into the fourth quarter before taking a seat.

Even though Los Angeles finished 1-5 in preseason, it’s not something that should raise too many alarms. The main point of these games is to help players get back into rhythm before things start for real.

But Doncic did point out an issue that popped up during those games and said it’s something he’d like to see sorted soon.

Luka Doncic outlines where the LA Lakers need to improve

During his media availability following the loss against Sacramento, Luka spoke about how important it is for LA to make improvements defensively ahead of opening night:

“I think just defense. We can’t have those slip ups,” Doncic said when asked where he wants to see improvement. “They’re going to happen throughout a game. But I think less of them.”

This isn’t something new for Luka – he also brought up similar concerns after last season ended, so it’s clearly an area he feels strongly about.

Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Luka Doncic points to lack of physical edge in Lakers’ preseason

Speaking after the Lakers’ narrow 118-117 loss to the Kings, Luka Doncic didn’t hesitate when asked what separated the team’s practice play from their performance in games.

Doncic believes the Lakers need to bring more of their practice intensity into actual games. He stressed that it’s especially important given how often rotations will change during a long season.

“I mean, obviously, practices are different. I think, in practice, we are more physical. But like I said, we need to work on our physicality.”

He added that cleaning up a few details would help, particularly given the mix of lineups they’ll use throughout the year.

After hearing Doncic’s remarks, Marcus Smart spoke up and offered his view on how the team should tackle those concerns.

Marcus Smart urges Lakers to match his defensive intensity

When asked about Doncic’s remarks, Smart played it cool and told reporters the rest of the team should follow his example, pointing to his energy as something everyone else can feed off.

“Just follow my lead. That’s really it. I’m gonna try and set the tone each and every night. They can just piggyback off me. There’s gonna be nights where I don’t have it.

“That’s part of the game; there are four other guys out there with you. Just really picking up what I’m putting down. Me, Vando, and Gabe go out there, and we try to bring the tone every time.

“So if they can just follow us, which they can… we’re willing to do so. Once we get that under control, you’ll see a lot more physicality from the whole team.”

Luka Doncic recruited Marcus Smart to the Lakers primarily because of his defensive prowess. The former Defensive Player of the Year is still just 31 and can contribute at a high level.

If Marcus Smart can defend anywhere near as well as he did with Boston back in 2022, LA should have enough quality on both ends of the floor to challenge for another championship.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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