The Lakers’ fatal mistake was on full display in an ugly NBA Cup loss to the Spurs

The Los Angeles Lakers have generally had a good season, currently sitting at 17-7, fourth in the Western Conference and leading the Pacific Division. But wrapped up in their solid start is the Lakers’ fatal flaw, which has been laid bare by their losses. The The Lakers defense struggled mightily against the San Antonio Spurs in NBA Cupand threatens to derail all championship aspirations.

Los Angeles dropped to 21st in defenseaccording to advanced NBA statistics. Alarmingly, the team has allowed at least 12o points in four of its last five games. The Lakers haven’t had a good December so far, going 2-3 in five contests. The Lakers couldn’t stop the Spurs on Wednesday, which prevented them from making a comeback.

But this is not a new development. In particular, LeBron James, Austin Reavesand JJ Redick have all addressed this over the past few weeks. This problem dates back to last season, and the purple and gold have not fixed it, despite their best efforts.

The Lakers’ offseason moves

When the Lakers entered the offseason, the goal was to acquire a big man and a defender. At the time, they believed they had two. First, The Lakers signed Deandre Ayton to be their big man. Then, the The Lakers nabbed Marcus Smart to be their defender from the bench. Ayton has been solid so far, with a recent defensive rating of 115, which is decent but still not elite. Smart won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022. However, he is only decent this season, instead of the elite defender he once was.

But these two moves were not correlated with other players. Despite their best efforts, Reeves, James and Luka Doncic they didn’t provide much stellar defense. Often, when the Lakers fall behind early due to poor defense, they get frustrated and start turning the ball over. It’s been a problem all season.

Where the Lakers currently stand

The Lakers currently have a defensive rating of 118 and have allowed 116.7 points per game. Although they are 10th in defensive rebound percentage, it didn’t matter when they allowed inside shots. That’s mostly been a problem when they’ve played elite or above-average teams that can shoot from all over the floor.

A good example of this happened against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yes, they are the best team in the NBA right now and they lead many teams. But when the Lakers faced the Thunder, they were unable to contain them in the first quarter, leaving them in a big hole. This forced them to attempt shots they wouldn’t have otherwise taken, and it slowed them in half as Thunder flew past them.

Can the Lakers fix this?

This is a question that many opponents have. If you were to ask this right now, the answer would be no. The Lakers have gone 5-2 this season against teams with a winning record, but there is still a lot of work to do. Reddick must try to work some real magic to fix the Lakers defense. Of course, the Lakers have an elite offense. But they must counter with stout defense on days when James, Reaves and Doncic struggle to hit the ball.

But the real test will begin when the Lakers start facing other explosive teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and even the New York Knicks. At some point, allowing 120 points and expecting 125 will not be an option. The Lakers must fight and defend better if they hope to compete for an NBA championship this season.