FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Ayton has historically disappeared in big moments.

Despite some obvious deficiencies in the departments of speed and athleticism, the Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a fast start this season. They’ve risen to near the top of the Western Conference standings. Now, ironically, one of their biggest problems moving forward could be Deandre Ayton.

It’s not that Ayton has some sort of glaring problem right now. But that’s just it: Lakers fans have reached a point where they have a reasonable amount of trust in him right now. And unfortunately, Deandre has a history of disappearing in big moments. The thought that they might be getting set up for disappointment has to be the biggest fear for the Lakers right now.

One reason this concern has surfaced is the way the Lakers are being constructed offensively. They have leaned heavily on ball movement early in games, using Luka Doncic’s creation and Austin Reaves’s off-ball movement to generate looks. That has worked well in the regular season so far.

But when the game gets tight and defenses switch everything, teams look to exploit interior rotations. Ayton’s scoring has been solid, but his presence in the final minutes is not always a given, and that uncertainty can make opposing defenses more comfortable taking away perimeter options instead.

Lakers need more certainty from Deandre Ayton

Another factor that complicates Ayton’s role is the Lakers’ overall lack of elite athleticism on the wing. Teams with more speed and length around their stars can hide a center who struggles with switching. Lakers fans have seen how quickly things can unravel when Ayton gets isolated on the perimeter or asked to guard switches that require quick lateral movement.

Of course, to be fair, Ayton has shown more consistency this season than many expected. He’s been reliable at setting screens, catching lobs, and finishing around the rim. But big moments often require more than just the simple things. They require someone who can create their own shot when possessions break down and who can defend a variety of players without hesitation. That level of versatility has not been Ayton’s calling card in the past.

The Lakers have benefited from depth and team defense this season, and that collective effort is what has kept them afloat when Ayton is not the best matchup. When bench guys have stepped up, the team has been able to absorb some of the mismatches Ayton might struggle with. But that strategy has limits, especially in the playoffs.

Ultimately, the Lakers need Ayton to be more than just an efficient big man. They need him to be someone opponents are forced to account for late in games. If the Lakers can find ways to mask his limitations, this season will continue to look promising. If not, fans may start to revisit those fears that have quietly lingered since his arrival.

No question Lakers need to start Marcus Smart and move Rui Hachimura to the bench to get better D with starters and better O with bench. Marcus’ performance last night sealed the change. Now it’s just up to JJ to understand the need for the change and to make it when we return to court.

Timing wise, how we lost two of the last three games should end any question whether the Laker need a blockbuster trade for an elite 3&D starting small forward and shot blocking defensive center. The combination of poor point of attack defense and poor rim protection cannot survive the playoffs. Time to see what a Mark Walter Lakers trade looks like.

Good to have the break right now. JJ can work Smart into the starting lineup and Rui into the bench lineups. Those stats for the Big Three that are negative are bothersome, especially since the stats for any 2 of the Lakers Big 3 on the court are elite. The harsh reality is the expected juggernaut when all three play has not emerged.

These games raise serious questions about the success of the Lakers Big Three. It’s a lot harder to cover for deficiencies of three star players when you only have two role playrers. Much easier to find three great role players to cover weaknesses of just two stars.

Mark Walter and his team are analytics true believers. JJ needs to figure out how to make the Big Three work, especially with a center who is not a great rim protector. That leaves you with just one and a half starters to upgrade the defense. Only thing we can do now is start Marcus for Rui to balance the O and D of the starters and bench until Rob pulls off a trade.

And it could get messy waiting another entire month for Herb Jones to become trade eligible.

The game plan to beat the Lakers is in: Let Luka shoot as many times as he wants as long as he doesn't get others involved. The Spurs lead by 12 at the half without Victor Wembanyama.— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) December 11, 2025

While I would do that trade, there is no way that the Pels would. I mean zero chance.

Why would a bad team want pick swaps from a top 4 team that you just made even better? Even the unprotected FRP is essentially a 2nd round pick because it’ll be so low. And then the Pels get 3 non-impact players to boot? You at least gotta get Rui.

Bey and Alvarado are on expiring contracts and Jones is on a team friendly contract and extension. Jones has a 1-year and $15M left on his prior contract and a 4-year extension that begins at $21 million year after next with a 3rd yr PO and 4th yr TO. While Jones is tied up… pic.twitter.com/YDaUVHEgaR— LakerTom (@LakerTom) December 11, 2025

Problem is that this trade (unrealistic as it is) doesn’t add any draft capital..it costs us. And in what world do we have more & better stars than OKC? Luka & SGA might be equals (one has a ring & mvp but…ok) but I’d take J.Dub over Reaves & LeBron at this stage of their careers (due to his HUGE edge on the defensive end). Not to mention a healthy Holmgren. Plus OKC has the floundering Clips’ FRP the next TWO years. I hate to admit it but Luka, Antman, & other young stars might end up being the Barkley, Ewing, & Malone of this era….OKC is set up to be good for a long time.

I don’t think we have the draft capital to land Herb. A lot of teams with many more assets would love to have him.

From above article:

The GO Show – Felipe Mora

Who doesn’t love a do-over? The Golden State Warriors sure did when they took a shot on Dennis Schroder last season that turned out to be a horrendous miss.

After a strong start to the 2024-25 season with the Brooklyn Nets, the Warriors were convinced Schroder could help solve their issues. He didn’t. The short-lived Warriors guard showed up and averaged 10.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc in 24 games played wearing a Golden State uniform.

The Warriors went 11-13 with Schroder in the lineup. When Golden State had an opportunity to cut their losses, they took it, and that was all because of the timeliness with which they acquired him. Jake Fischer explained the nuance sufficiently in his latest drop of rumor mill intel.

Fischer wrote, “[They were] taking advantage of a fresh wrinkle in the revised labor pact which states that acquiring a player via trade by Dec. 16 makes them eligible to be aggregated again with other contracts in a subsequent move before the NBA’s annual in-season trade deadline every February.”

Lakers could pounce early to keep themselves alive on the trade market
The NBA insider added that even though less than 60 days passed between Schroder’s acquisition and the Feb. 5 deadline, it was fair game. That allowed the Warriors to pivot to Jimmy Butler.

If Rob Pelinka wants to execute a quick strike on Dec. 15, the Los Angeles Lakers general manager would still have his options open to him after the fact. That could theoretically keep him in the trade game if a bigger fish appears in front of the Lakers before this year’s NBA trade deadline.

The Warriors knew exactly what they were doing when they pushed for Schroder in this fashion. Fischer’s sources ‘consistently mentioned’ that type of opportunism was a calculated decision for the front office in Golden State during their pursuit.

The NBA insider added this tactful approach could easily be replicated this season: “Various team executives we’ve consulted certainly describe it as a very feasible outcome.”

Considering the Lakers’ asset pool of expiring contracts, there should be reason to believe they would be one of the best candidates to try their hand at that approach. They could cash their chips in on an early maneuver, and if it is not working out, they recalibrate before it is too late.

The main goal in Los Angeles is still to put a championship contender around Luka Doncic. Skeptics would say the Lakers are still considerably short of that. Pelinka should leave no stone unturned if that is truly the case, and the belief internally.

Thanks Buba, nice post. I have resisted judging this team until I can see us whole for a decent sample size. Lebron has missed 16 games. Luka ha missed 6 amd Marcus has missed nine. Even Austin missed 3. I want to see those guys play together for a while an see how they look.

Meanwhile….OKC hasn’t hadn’t their complete roster yet this season and are playing at a record pace. Anxious to see how we matchup now with our full allotment. No reason the Spurs w/o Wemby should stand in the way to Vegas.

From above article:

There were no visible signs of added emotion on the eve of the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA Cup quarterfinal against the San Antonio Spurs, no extra edge from a single-elimination game, no open desire to earn more prize money or add more hardware to the trophy case.

“I’m sure it feels different to some people,” Marcus Smart said, “but to me, it’s another game.”

“Cool court,” Deandre Ayton said, sort of flatly.

It’s not exactly the sentiment the NBA had hoped to cultivate with this in-season competition, now in Year 3, but Ayton and Smart can be forgiven if the competitive rush from the NBA Cup isn’t driving them.

To be fair, they’ve been feeling that buzz simply by being Lakers.

For a pair of players who have tasted winning — Smart with the Boston Celtics and Ayton with the Phoenix Suns — the return to those standards in Los Angeles has been inspiring enough. From the future Hall of Famers on the roster to the names and numbers of the Hall of Famers who have played for the franchise before, Ayton said championship motivation is a daily thing.

“Being here in this atmosphere … winning speaks for itself,” he said. “Just the names around here. It’s motivating. Seeing where we are in the season, why not us?”

The only championship in the short-term focus is the NBA Cup, which the Lakers are three wins away from. It’s not why Ayton or Smart joined the Lakers, but it is representative of the work the team has done to date. Through the first quarter of the season, Los Angeles has the second-best record in the West despite injuries that have disrupted its continuity.

During Smart’s absence over the last six games, the team has the sixth-worst defense in the NBA — a small but not insignificant dip. JJ Redick called Smart the Lakers’ primary tone-setter with his defensive physicality, and with De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle and the Spurs in the way of the Cup semis, Smart’s return from a back injury is just in time.

“I think we’ve gotten a great version of him when he’s been healthy and on the court,” Redick said. “We just gotta continue to, in some ways, integrate him. And now that we’re trying to integrate LeBron, it’s integrating (Smart too). And he can offer a lot for our team.”

The Lakers, in turn, have a lot to offer Smart — namely the chance to play for things that matter in ways they did during his time in Boston, as opposed to his time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards.

“Coming from Boston for nine years and the tradition there, and the things that I’ve accomplished there, and (then) you kind of get shipped off to where you’re not in the spotlight anymore,” Smart said. “The games, in a sense, don’t matter as much or you’re not really playing for anything. You kind of get in a dull moment in your life where you just kind of start questioning things. And then you come and realize that tradition again with another organization. And the things that they bring. And the effort that they bring on the court. And you’re like, damn, I really want to be a part of that.”

Ayton feels similarly.

“We got LeBron and Luka (Dončić). I feel like that every day,” he said of the Lakers’ chances to win. “Coming into practice, taking care of the little things even when you’re tired, just getting your lifts in and getting some cardio in and even when the coach gives us a good practice and we’re out competing and getting up shots up after practice. And, yeah, I think we have a shot.

“We have some Hall of Famers on the team that really want to win, and they make that very vocal that they want to win. So you’re gonna have to hold your end to be a part of the puzzle so you can fit.”

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. That has increasingly become NBA teams’ mindset when it comes to chasing extra possessions and the potential costs of doing so.

Let’s back up a bit. With a bit more than a quarter of the season complete and most teams on mini-hiatus for the next 10 days while the NBA Cup plays out, it’s a good time to exhale and take a look at some league-wide trends.

One notable shift that stands out is that fouls and free-throw attempts have both sharply increased from a year ago. While this can change over the course of a season as both players and officials react to each other — most notably in the “no paint fouls” era in the second half of the 2023-24 season — I suspect this one is likely to stick around, because it’s driven by bigger stylistic changes that we’re seeing league-wide.

First, the data on fouls. League-wide free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt are up by 14.8 percent from a year ago; league-wide fouls per 100 possessions are up 13.4 percent. That comes in the wake of a flat half-decade-long trendline in the post-COVID-19 era:

The 2022-23 season stands out as something of an outlier, and 2023-24 was trending the same way before an abrupt reduction in fouls and free throws after the All-Star break. Still, even those seasons pale beside what we’ve seen in 2025-26. To have double-digit percent increases in foul rates in one season is a fairly extreme shift.

Pedants will note that pace is also up this year, which would affect personal fouls per game, but it’s only a 1.2 percent difference, and the foul rate has increased more than 10 times that amount. That isn’t the cause here.

What is? The first instinct is to blame the refs somehow, but that quickly leads to dead ends. I’ve been in a lot of arenas in the last month, and nobody is really talking about changes in the officiating this year. (As opposed to, say, March 2024, when everyone was talking about it). To my own eyes, I haven’t seen play types officiated differently than previous years. And anecdotally, post-game officiating rants have been an uncommon sight.

A more possible boogeyman would be the Oklahoma City Thunder, who nearly set a record for defensive efficiency last season while finishing 26th in opponent free-throw rate. The team that finished just behind them in the defensive stats, the Orlando Magic, was 29th in opponent free throws.

What those two teams mastered was “possession-ball,” something I wrote about earlier this year as teams have leaned into it more. Both Oklahoma City and Orlando forced heaps of turnovers and controlled the boards, limiting opponent field-goal attempts.

The flip-side of that is the Houston Rockets’ approach, which is to go nuts on the offensive glass and attempt to win the possession battle that way. This is basically a new paradigm in the league, replacing the previous 2010s orthodoxy of limiting rebounding attempts to avoid surrendering transition. This more aggressive approach has increased offensive rebound rates across the league. (Well, except in Milwaukee.)

Meanwhile, teams have also leaned into using ball pressure to generate more turnovers — again, I discussed this at length earlier in the season. That’s a direct response to both the ridiculous efficiency some modern offenses have achieved if they’re just allowed to play pop-a-shot … and, ironically, to the increased physicality allowed on the perimeter since the middle of the 2023-24 season.

Perhaps as a reaction to the success of teams like Thunder, Magic and Rockets, both offensive rebounds and turnovers are way up this year. The league-wide offensive rebound rate this season is 26.2 percent, and the league-wide turnover rate is 13.0 percent. The rebound rate has seen an 8 percent jump just in the last two years and an 18 percent jump from the league’s low ebb of a 22.2 percent rebound rate in 2020-21. Meanwhile, the turnover rate of 13 percent hasn’t been exceeded in the last decade and is a 7.4 percent jump from last season.

Some individual teams have been wild outliers: Oklahoma City and the Phoenix Suns are turning teams over on more than 15 percent of their possessions, while Houston has an unthinkable 38 percent offensive rebound rate.

So, back to our omelette: Possession-ball isn’t possible without fouls, and often fouls on both sides. Increasing offensive rebound attacks also increases the number of contested rebounds, which adds to the number of loose-ball fouls in both directions. One sight that’s been especially common, however, is a ref on the baseline blowing their whistle, raising both arms and then pointing their fingers at the floor, in an exaggerated “stays here” motion after the defense fouls an opposing offensive rebounder.

For instance: Just try uprooting Steven Adams without getting a whistle. Watch as Denver’s Bruce Brown leans in with his full body weight and two arms, doing his best Sisyphus impersonation to roll this human boulder out of the way:

This happens nearly every game with Adams, whose 25.4 percent offensive rebound rate leads the league among players with at least 300 minutes played; the dude is drawing fouls and earning free throws without even touching the ball.

Of course, that’s only part of it. Putbacks, as a shot type, also tend to generate a lot more shooting fouls than jumpers, putting even more pressure on the league-wide foul rate.

The same applies to a lesser extent with ball pressure. Not only does it increase the risk of fouls 50 feet from the basket (in theory, at least, although the league has been reluctant to call all but the most egregious hand-checks), it also increases the possibility of offensive fouls from frazzled dribblers.

Which takes us to the next question: Are foul rates about to escalate even more? It’s a copycat league, and the copying seems to be working. As much as teams such as the Rockets have rediscovered the value of crashing the glass to their offenses, many are seeing the foul-turnover tradeoff seems to favor the defense.

It’s not just the Thunder. The Detroit Pistons, for example, have the league’s third-best defense despite the worst opponent free-throw rate; they are third, however, in opponent turnover rate at 14.6 percent and second in offensive rebound rate at 31.5 percent. Phoenix has been less extreme, but it’s another surprise team that has benefited in a big way from owning the possssion war despite a high foul rate. (The Thunder, I will note, have dialed back the fouling quite a bit in 2025-26; they’re now just awesome at everything).

Again, we’ve seen the ebbs of flows of league-wide trends pivot before; the NBA could decide to call the game differently, or other factors we can’t even conceive of yet could convince teams to tilt their focus in a different direction. Nonetheless, the possessions-and-fouls shift is one of the most notable stylistic changes we’ve seen in the league this season. Now the question, for the last three quarters of the season, is whether the trend only accelerates from here.