The Lakers have had a couple of days to recover and regroup after a very disappointing showing in the NBA Cup quarterfinals against the San Antonio Spurs.

That loss didn’t introduce anything new. It exposed the same patterns and the same defensive flaws we’ve seen before — including in the previous matchup against the Phoenix Suns, who the Lakers face again tonight.

So instead of a regular, structured game preview, this piece looks at what the Lakers can actually adjust. Specifically, the defensive issues that keep resurfacing, and the lineup or tactical changes that might help plug some of those holes.

Defense isn’t the only nut the Lakers need to crack. Both the Spurs and the Suns went with a similar approach, letting Luka score in two on two situations while focusing on limiting his playmaking. In the rematch, the Lakers will need to readjust.

That task becomes even more difficult without Austin Reaves, who will be out for at least a week while dealing with a calf strain.

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Today’s highlights:

Starting five and rotation imbalance

Should Hachimura’s minutes depend on the matchup and the opponent’s defensive plan? (VIDEO)

Creating advantages out of the post (VIDEO)

Small ball as a tweak for more banshees and more Rui touches (VIDEO)

1-Starting five and rotation imbalance

After the last practice, JJ Redick said the Lakers have completely lost their defensive fundamentals over the last ten games. Over that stretch, they rank as the fourth worst defense in the league. One of the biggest talking points all season has been the imbalance of the starting group, especially when it comes to skill and finesse versus defense and physicality.

The fit of Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, two excellent finishers but not high motor defensive tone setters, is something I’ve already written about in both my 10 and 20 game checks. When you add LeBron James still working his way back from injury, plus Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the result is one of the least aggressive starting units in the league at a time when leaning into physicality and force is a clear, established trend.

In the short term, replacing Reaves with Smart should shift that imbalance a bit, but the long term challenge will persist. Last season, Redick took pride in the team’s banshee spirit, but yesterday he admitted the Lakers simply haven’t been banshees this season. And while I agree that each player individually stepping up his effort and physicality can help, for the team to re-acquire the play hard tag they had last season, Redick will have to adjust his rotation and unleash the banshees.

Since the Lakers got healthy and since James returned to the lineup, the minutes for players I would categorize as banshees (Smart, Vanderbilt, LaRavia, Vincent, Thiero, and Kleber) have been cut roughly in half compared to earlier in the season, dropping to just 15 to 25 percent of total minutes.

And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is also the period when the defense started to struggle. Smart missing six games during this stretch was a big hit, but Jarred Vanderbilt’s and Jake LaRavia’s minutes were also reduced compared to the first part of the season.

2-Should Hachimura’s minutes depend on the matchup and the opponent’s defensive plan? (VIDEO)

On my recent podcast chat with Jovan Buha, I mentioned that reducing Ayton’s and Hachimura’s minutes in favor of the banshees is one way to adjust the imbalance. Hachimura is averaging 33 minutes per game, and while his shooting is a crucial component that provides space for Dončić, Reaves, and James to operate on offense, there have been recent games, most notably the matchups against the Suns and the Spurs, where his role and shot diet were diminished by the way Dončić pick actions were defended.

In my 20 game check, I wrote about teams cycling between more conservative coverages like drop and more aggressive hedging or blitzing. Before the Suns game, the latter was on the rise. Then the Suns and Spurs leaned into a scheme with a long center (Mark Williams and Luke Kornet) in drop, forcing Dončić to score in two on two situations rather than trapping and allowing the Lakers to play advantage four on three basketball.

Without doubles or scrambling defenses, there were far fewer touches for Hachimura. He had just one shot attempt and went scoreless against the Suns, then scored seven points on four shots against the Spurs, posting season lows of three and eight frontcourt touches in those two games.

Ayton’s and Hachimura’s touches have been on the decline since James returned, so re-adjusting the rotation for more balance and playing both less alongside all three high usage, high touch starters is worth a try, especially against the recent tactics the Suns and Spurs applied. Defenses might stunt even more aggressively if Jake LaRavia is in the corner instead of Hachimura, but I don’t think it would drastically change the scheme.

3-Creating advantages out of the post (VIDEO)

Even if Ayton’s and Hachimura’s minutes are reduced, the Lakers still need to find ways to utilize them, especially Hachimura, even when the opponent’s strategy is forcing Dončić into a high usage scorer rather than a playmaker.

One way to do that is to feature Dončić and James in the post more, rather than spam countless pick and stack actions, because in that scenario not sending a double and defending one on one becomes a much riskier proposition. You could see the Spurs choosing to shift help from Hachimura on the weakside rather than from Reaves or Dončić, who were one and two passes away.

4-Small ball as a tweak for more banshees and more Rui touches (VIDEO)

Another way to get more minutes for the banshees is to lean more into small ball, centerless lineups like the Lakers used last season. I’m not suggesting going all in on small ball, which eventually doomed them in the playoffs, but using it as a change of pace option that could open up more minutes for players like LaRavia and Vanderbilt.

Small ball is also a way to utilize Hachimura more as a screener and a pick-and-pop option.

We’ve seen that when Smart or Vanderbilt are in small ball lineups, and sometimes even in regular lineups with Ayton or Hayes on the floor, they are the players opponents choose to guard with their big man. That forces them to become the screening partner for Dončić instead of Hachimura. This setup isn’t ideal, especially with Vanderbilt or Smart catching the ball as the decision maker, but it still creates advantages and forces four on three basketball.

Another way to utilize Smart or Vanderbilt is by using them as the second back screener in stack actions, as shown below, or by having them set corner screens, flare screens, or pin in actions.

Regardless of what the Lakers do, the recent defensive breakdowns suggest it’s probably time to reshuffle the rotation and lineups and find ways to get the banshees more involved. We’ll see some of that tonight because Reaves’ 37 minutes will have to be redistributed, but the Lakers likely need a more significant, long-term change of course if they want to meaningfully improve their defense.

FIVE in a row for the squad 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/KmlNR2saUC— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 6, 2025

Aloha,

As the banged up Lakers exceed expectations game after game it is becoming crystal clear that is a deep and talented team. With LeBron being cleared for contact it will be even better soon. Just a few thoughts.

Even with a bad shooting night Luka continues to dominate. While it is his offense that generally gets the attention, it is his defense that has improved the most with his new body. While he may never be a lock down defender, he is moving so much better on the defensive side that he can no longer be considered a liability. His increased mobility has allowed his high IQ take over and the result is a lot more steals and blocks.

Ayton just maybe our center of the future. He is playing as well as any center in the league with only exceptions. When you watch his activity on the court and you listen to his interviews it’s clear that he has completely bought into his role. It is a long season but I think all the concerns about his motor and desire are fading away. I think he feels like he has found a home.

Rui had 15 points on only 9 shots again. Would love it if they found him a little more because the dude can shoot. But it was his defense that caught my attention last night. He defended Wemby at a high level. Rui is so freaking strong that it is hard to move him and Wemby isn’t strong enough to do it. Ayton is very mobile on defense and Rui allowed Ayton to roam and he is quick enough to get out on shooters. Rui gets a bad rap when it comes to defense. He really improved last year and has continued this year. He still needs to rebound a little better but he has become solid on the defensive end.

It’s rare to see a player struggle shooting the ball but still have a major impact on winning. Marcus has been doing just that. And with the injuries to our play makers this year he has been so important. He may not be flashy but he keeps the offense organized and makes the right reads and his defense has been as advertised. If he can stay healthy he will be a huge piece of our success.

While I would like a little more scoring from our bench, we have so many offensive weapons that it is easy for JJ to keep a couple of scorers on the court at all times. And when LeBron returns it will be even easier.

While I was sad when we lost Finney-Smith we turned him into Ayton, Marcus and Jake. That loss turned into the best thing that could have happened to the Lakers.

We won’t know for sure what our championship chances are until we get to see this team with LeBron. But what they have proven with games like last night, all season really, is that they already have championship level grit as a team. They play harder than I have seen the Lakers play in a long time. Keep this up and I may start dreaming about championship number 18.

Lakers say Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight’s game versus San Antonio. Austin Reaves (right groin soreness) has been downgraded to OUT.— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) November 5, 2025

Despite the grueling gauntlet and eight games without LeBron and four without Luka, the ‘next-man-up’ Lakers not only survived but showed they were capable of playing championship caliber basketball without LeBron.

The winner of tonight’s game between the 6–2 Lakers and the 5–1 Spurs will be the #2 seed in the West behind the unbeaten champion Thunder. The early betting odds have the home Lakers as 2.5 to 3.0 point favorites. After starting the season 2–2, the Lakers have now won four straight games without their superstars Luka Doncic or LeBron James, including stunning underdog wins over the heavily favored Timberwolves and Trailblazers.

Meanwhile, after starting the season with five straight wins, the Spurs ran into a buzz saw against the Suns last Sunday, losing to Phoenix’s blistering shooting from deep and their elite defensive strategy on Wembanyama.
Essentially, the Suns used the smaller and quicker Royce O’Neal to work hard to try and prevent Victor Wembanyama from receiving the post entry pass while their center Mark Williams and other defenders blitz him.

Both teams are injury riddled. The Lakers have announced that Reaves will be out tonight as well as James, Vincent, Kleber, and Thiero while the Suns will be missing Fox, Harper, Kornet, Sochan, Waters, and Olynyk tonight.
Despite the injuries, winning this game will probably come down to which superstar has the more dominant night. Right now, both Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama are off to historic career starts to their seasons.

Look for the Lakers to replicate the aggressive defense the Suns used to limit Wemby last Sunday and look for Luka Doncic to have another one of his 40-point masterpieces as the Lakers dominate the Spurs wire-to-wire.