NBA Scouts Call Out Lakers' Key Weakness This Year

The Los Angeles Lakers haven't lost a game with star forward LeBron James back in the lineup after he made his long-awaited season debut Nov. 18 against the Utah Jazz.

With James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers feature one of the most lethal trios in the league. In his three games back, James is averaging nearly 18 points per game, adding 5 rebounds and 8.7 assists.

Meanwhile, Doncic is making an early case to win the league's Most Valuable Player award, averaging over 35 points per game with 8.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. To cap it off, Reaves is having by far the best season of his young career, averaging 27.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7 assists per game.

Nearly seven months after their early exit in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Lakers are showing signs of contending for their 18th NBA title. However, the Lakers have shown some weaknesses in the first month of the 2025-26 season.

The Lakers are struggling to protect the rim in the paint, allowing 69% shooting inside of 5 feet, the fourth-worst mark in the NBA.

NBA insiders shared insights as to how the rest of the league views the Lakers with ESPN's Tim Bontemps in his takeaways from the first month of the NBA season.

"Are they up there with Oklahoma City, Denver and Houston? No," an East scout said on where the Lakers stack up in the Western Conference. "But they're clearly in the top six. Their depth overall isn't good, but their top-line talent makes them a team I wouldn't want to see in the playoffs."

Opinions on LA Vary

Other scouts have more optimistic outlooks on the Lakers' ceiling, with one citing the stellar play of Doncic as a reason the Lakers can't be counted out of a competitive conference.

"They're top three for sure. When you have Luka, you're always going to be in the mix," the West scout said.

The Lakers currently sit second in the Western Conference. Chasing Oklahoma City, which has lost just one game this season, will be a tough battle, but the Lakers should continue to contend for a top spot in the conference.