3 biggest questions Lakers must answer to win 2025 NBA championship

Yesterday at 06:21 PM

Before trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers felt like a borderline playoff team that could maybe compete in the right matchup, but never a serious championship contender. Perhaps this is just the power of novelty, but things around the Lakers feel different now. A championship doesn’t feel completely out of the question, even if the margins are still razor thin.

If the Lakers are to contend for a championship this season and into the near or distant future, they’re going to have to nail down a few things as soon as they can. Rob Pelinka tried to address the most obvious hole in the roster by trading for Mark Williams, but will have to circle back to that this summer in one way or another.

So, with this likely being the roster from here on out (not including one more potential buyout addition), let’s take a look at some of the variables that absolutely have to go the Lakers’ way if they’re going to win anything this season.

Can offense carry Lakers?

Without a legitimate rim protector, the Lakers’ defense is always going to have a ceiling on how much it will be able to impact games. So, if they’re going to compete for a championship, Los Angeles might have to be borderline historically great on offense. Fortunately, Doncic, James and Austin Reaves is a pretty good place to start.

It was clear once Doncic could get on the court the Lakers were trying to get reps in before the All-Star break more than they were truly trying to implement anything groundbreaking on the fly. With only 30 games between now and the playoffs, JJ Redick has a critical task ahead of him: Get absolutely everything he can out of Doncic, James and Austin Reaves.

So far, they’re off to a pretty good start. Small sample size notwithstanding, the Lakers are scoring 125.7 points per 100 possessions – a pretty stellar step in the right direction compared to the 111.9 offensive rating James, Reaves and Anthony Davis carried this season before the trade.

One thing to watch is how quickly the big three can build chemistry in two- and even three-man offensive sets together. If they’re able to unlock that part of the offense and build on top of the foundation they’ve worked to set so far, they just might be able to produce at the levels they’ll have to in order to make up for the suspect defense. If they continue this your-turn-my-turn dance, the Lakers’ chances at real contention this year dissipate entirely.

Can LeBron James take a backseat?

We’ve been able to watch James figure out every basketball equation thrown at him over the 21 years of his career to this point. He’s been able to bend basketball to his will or show enough flexibility to fit any situation he found himself in. Playing alongside Doncic is unlike anything he’s had to do before, and the solution requires something he’s never had to focus on, the little things.

When James teamed up with Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat, they suffocated teams defensively but then took turns on offense. It wasn’t until Wade made the conscious decision to take a step back and let James dominate the offense that Miami really became the unstoppable force it eventually became. If it’s going to work with James and Doncic, James is going to have to follow in Wade’s footsteps.

Part of this also is that between James and Doncic, only the former can make a similar impact on the game without the basketball compared to when he has it. Even at 40, James is a significantly better defender, cutter and rebounder than Doncic. He sets better screens. This doesn’t mean he’ll do those things exclusively, obviously, but he’ll need to tweak his approach if the Lakers are going to maximize that combination to the extent they have to.

Cardio, anyone?

The Lakers defense has actually been quite good over the last few weeks. Whether that’s sustainable is obviously a matter of opinion, but one thing is for sure: Whenever they get stops, they have to look to run. James and Doncic figuring things out in the half-court is going to take time, so how do you avoid that? Spend less time in the half-court.

When the Lakers do get out and run, it’s hard to see how teams can figure out everything they’ll have to. Jaxson Hayes is a pretty good rim-runner. Rui Hachimura can fill a lane if he’s told exactly what to look for. Reaves is a fantastic decision-maker. Then, operating as the engines of it all will be either James or Doncic. Most critically, outside of Hayes or Alex Len, basically anyone who grabs the rebound can take at least a few dribbles to kickstart transition opportunities.

If it’s Doncic, James or Reaves, forget about it. Every other player needs to hit the turbo button to fill their lane as fast as they possibly can.

Look for guys to fill the corners quickly and have one cutter collapse the defense. At worst, in semi-transition, the James and Doncic can either take advantage of a defense on its heels as trailers or blow by if the defense over-extends.

It’s obviously difficult to say how often the Lakers will get stops, but the best way to supplement an offense undergoing an identity shift is to take full advantage of those opportunities when they come.

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