Iztok Franco: Lakers–Hornets observations dispatched!

January 16, 2026 at 7:39 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Disjointed vibes…

The Lakers lost for the fourth time in their last five games, finding themselves on the wrong end of yet another shootout and falling 135–117 to the Charlotte Hornets.

After a 15–4 start to the season, they have now played below .500 basketball since December 1st, going 9–11 over their last 20 games, and at the moment look like a very average team.

And if we are talking defense only, they have been far worse than average. Over this same stretch, the Lakers have ranked as the third worst defense in the league.

digginbasketball is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Today’s notes:

Disjointed team

Disjointed switched-off defense (VIDEO)

Lack of depth and dynamism

1-Disjointed team

Things always look way worse when you lose and the opponent catches fire, like the Kings did a couple of games ago or like LaMelo Ball and the Hornets did last night. Ball made 9 of his 17 three-point attempts, several being his patented one-legged deep daggers, and the Hornets shot 47 percent from deep as a team. A finally fully healthy Hornets team is also a sneaky good offensive group, especially on nights when Ball is making shots from long distance. They recently beat OKC, blew out Utah by 55, and with last night’s explosion now have the NBA’s best offense over the last 10 games.

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅
@PurpGolded

“That’s a good offensive team. They had 150 against Utah, blew out OKC at OKC. Our coaching staff, and the guys in the locker room, we all knew that they got our full respect, and attention pregame. I thought we thought. Just another team that has another hot shooting night.”

10:30 PM · Jan 15, 2026 · 2.71K Views
1 Reply · 23 Likes

Postgame, JJ Redick thought his team battled but ultimately fell short against another hot-shooting opponent. While there is some truth to that, this Lakers team currently does not look like a connected, cohesive group, but rather one that opponents feel they will get their chances against if they stay patient long enough.

The Lakers opened the game shooting much better than the Hornets, going 7 of 12 from deep in the first quarter. Luka Dončić delivered one of his special 19-point first-quarter hammers, but because the Lakers did not do enough of the small things and lacked attention to detail, the lead at the end of the quarter was only nine. It evaporated quickly when the Lakers scored just four points in a little under six minutes with Dončić on the bench.

The struggles continued even after Dončić checked back in. The Hornets outscored the Lakers 34–16 in the second quarter, with a hot-handed Dončić attempting only one shot and posting just seven percent usage, his lowest output in a non-garbage-time quarter as a Laker.

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko

Wild stat, after scoring 19 points in the Q1 against the Hornets, Luka Dončić had just a 7% usage rate in Q2, his lowest in any non-garbage-time quarter as a Laker.

Don’t think that decided the game, but the Lakers are clearly searching for balance on both ends right now.
Lakers Daily @LakersDailyCom

JJ Redick: “When Luka got back in we shoulda got him to the post”
4:07 AM · Jan 16, 2026 · 2.21K Views
2 Replies · 5 Reposts · 16 Likes

2- Disjointed switched-off defense (VIDEO)

The Lakers’ second-quarter issues while searching for balance on offense let the Hornets back into the game, gave them a halftime lead, and the confidence to finish the job in the second half against a struggling Lakers defense. Ball caught fire in the second half, making 8 of his 12 three-point attempts, an otherworldly outlier shooting performance that happens maybe once a season, even for the best shooters.

But again, I do not think you can attribute the Lakers’ defensive collapse solely to Ball and the Hornets’ hot shooting. Similar to what happened against DeMar DeRozan earlier in the week, the Lakers are giving up switches against the opponent’s best scorers far too easily. They are the most switch-heavy pick-and-roll defense in the NBA per Genius Sports tracking data, and they then fail to provide the necessary gap help and backline defense. LaMelo scored on several occasions going one on one on an island against Dončić and Ayton, and made a couple of other threes by punishing Marcus Smart’s and Jake LaRavia’s hesitation while switching. Similarly, the much longer Brandon Miller was allowed to go one on one against the much smaller Gabe Vincent, or was given the space to attack Ayton off the dribble.

If the Lakers want to survive with a switch-everything approach at all times, they need longer, more aggressive, and more connected defenders who can disrupt switch-hunting actions or provide help and cover ground when recovering. Smart tried to do some of that late in the game, but it was far too little, far too late.

At the moment, regardless of the scheme, the Lakers’ defense is far too passive and reactive, especially given the lack of backline or weakside protection.

3-Lack of depth and dynamism

This was another game in which the Lakers could not overwhelm their opponent with offense, even on a night when both Dončić and James were scoring efficiently. In January, Dončić has returned to something closer to his early-season scoring form, posting high-octane performances against the Spurs, Kings, and now the Hornets, yet it was not nearly enough in any of those games.

The Lakers have a top-heavy roster, and without Austin Reaves they lack a second or third dynamic on-ball option to ensure the offense remains at a high level throughout the game. On the other end, the Hornets had four such players last night in Ball, Miller, Miles Bridges, and rookie sensation Kon Knueppel.

And when you add the lack of athleticism and defensive talent, the margin for error becomes extremely narrow, especially on nights when the Lakers get outworked on the glass by an opposing big-man duo. I praised Ayton for his activity in the previous game against the Hawks, but the issue for him has always been maintaining that level of effort from game to game. Without Jaxson Hayes available to pick up the slack, Redick went with Jarred Vanderbilt small-ball lineups as a backup plan, but the offense has been a disaster in those stints over the last two games.

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko

We talk about lack of athleticism for LA all season. Jaxson Hayes being out shouldnt as so big of a deal but he’s the only Laker that has athleticism/speed advantage on most nights.
Last 2 games Lakers really struggled on both ends with smallball units playing Vando at the 5.
2:22 AM · Jan 16, 2026

The Lakers’ three key bench players, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt, shot 1 of 10 from three last night, posting minus-17, minus-15, and minus-12 respectively. Vincent in particular had a rough shooting night, and he has become something of the epitome of the roster’s lack of athleticism and dynamism, which is understandably raising frustration among Lakers fans.

Jovan Buha
@jovanbuha
Fans are beginning to boo Gabe Vincent after he missed another open 3. He’s 0-for-7 overall and 0-for-5 on 3s.

9:42 PM · Jan 15, 2026 · 90.4K Views
104 Replies · 155 Reposts · 2.04K Likes

After the Kings game, I mentioned that the vibes had gone from great to poor over the last month. Last night was another game in which the body language did not reflect a connected team. If the Lakers want to make any kind of turnaround, it will need to start here.

Comments

LakerTom says

January 16, 2026 at 7:39 am

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Disjointed vibes…

The Lakers lost for the fourth time in their last five games, finding themselves on the wrong end of yet another shootout and falling 135–117 to the Charlotte Hornets.

After a 15–4 start to the season, they have now played below .500 basketball since December 1st, going 9–11 over their last 20 games, and at the moment look like a very average team.

And if we are talking defense only, they have been far worse than average. Over this same stretch, the Lakers have ranked as the third worst defense in the league.

digginbasketball is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Today’s notes:

Disjointed team

Disjointed switched-off defense (VIDEO)

Lack of depth and dynamism

1-Disjointed team

Things always look way worse when you lose and the opponent catches fire, like the Kings did a couple of games ago or like LaMelo Ball and the Hornets did last night. Ball made 9 of his 17 three-point attempts, several being his patented one-legged deep daggers, and the Hornets shot 47 percent from deep as a team. A finally fully healthy Hornets team is also a sneaky good offensive group, especially on nights when Ball is making shots from long distance. They recently beat OKC, blew out Utah by 55, and with last night’s explosion now have the NBA’s best offense over the last 10 games.

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅
@PurpGolded

“That’s a good offensive team. They had 150 against Utah, blew out OKC at OKC. Our coaching staff, and the guys in the locker room, we all knew that they got our full respect, and attention pregame. I thought we thought. Just another team that has another hot shooting night.”

JJ

10:30 PM · Jan 15, 2026 · 2.71K Views
1 Reply · 23 Likes

Postgame, JJ Redick thought his team battled but ultimately fell short against another hot-shooting opponent. While there is some truth to that, this Lakers team currently does not look like a connected, cohesive group, but rather one that opponents feel they will get their chances against if they stay patient long enough.

The Lakers opened the game shooting much better than the Hornets, going 7 of 12 from deep in the first quarter. Luka Dončić delivered one of his special 19-point first-quarter hammers, but because the Lakers did not do enough of the small things and lacked attention to detail, the lead at the end of the quarter was only nine. It evaporated quickly when the Lakers scored just four points in a little under six minutes with Dončić on the bench.

The struggles continued even after Dončić checked back in. The Hornets outscored the Lakers 34–16 in the second quarter, with a hot-handed Dončić attempting only one shot and posting just seven percent usage, his lowest output in a non-garbage-time quarter as a Laker.

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko

Wild stat, after scoring 19 points in the Q1 against the Hornets, Luka Dončić had just a 7% usage rate in Q2, his lowest in any non-garbage-time quarter as a Laker.

Don’t think that decided the game, but the Lakers are clearly searching for balance on both ends right now.
Lakers Daily @LakersDailyCom

JJ Redick: “When Luka got back in we shoulda got him to the post”
4:07 AM · Jan 16, 2026 · 2.21K Views
2 Replies · 5 Reposts · 16 Likes

2- Disjointed switched-off defense (VIDEO)

The Lakers’ second-quarter issues while searching for balance on offense let the Hornets back into the game, gave them a halftime lead, and the confidence to finish the job in the second half against a struggling Lakers defense. Ball caught fire in the second half, making 8 of his 12 three-point attempts, an otherworldly outlier shooting performance that happens maybe once a season, even for the best shooters.

But again, I do not think you can attribute the Lakers’ defensive collapse solely to Ball and the Hornets’ hot shooting. Similar to what happened against DeMar DeRozan earlier in the week, the Lakers are giving up switches against the opponent’s best scorers far too easily. They are the most switch-heavy pick-and-roll defense in the NBA per Genius Sports tracking data, and they then fail to provide the necessary gap help and backline defense. LaMelo scored on several occasions going one on one on an island against Dončić and Ayton, and made a couple of other threes by punishing Marcus Smart’s and Jake LaRavia’s hesitation while switching. Similarly, the much longer Brandon Miller was allowed to go one on one against the much smaller Gabe Vincent, or was given the space to attack Ayton off the dribble.

If the Lakers want to survive with a switch-everything approach at all times, they need longer, more aggressive, and more connected defenders who can disrupt switch-hunting actions or provide help and cover ground when recovering. Smart tried to do some of that late in the game, but it was far too little, far too late.

At the moment, regardless of the scheme, the Lakers’ defense is far too passive and reactive, especially given the lack of backline or weakside protection.

3-Lack of depth and dynamism

This was another game in which the Lakers could not overwhelm their opponent with offense, even on a night when both Dončić and James were scoring efficiently. In January, Dončić has returned to something closer to his early-season scoring form, posting high-octane performances against the Spurs, Kings, and now the Hornets, yet it was not nearly enough in any of those games.

The Lakers have a top-heavy roster, and without Austin Reaves they lack a second or third dynamic on-ball option to ensure the offense remains at a high level throughout the game. On the other end, the Hornets had four such players last night in Ball, Miller, Miles Bridges, and rookie sensation Kon Knueppel.

And when you add the lack of athleticism and defensive talent, the margin for error becomes extremely narrow, especially on nights when the Lakers get outworked on the glass by an opposing big-man duo. I praised Ayton for his activity in the previous game against the Hawks, but the issue for him has always been maintaining that level of effort from game to game. Without Jaxson Hayes available to pick up the slack, Redick went with Jarred Vanderbilt small-ball lineups as a backup plan, but the offense has been a disaster in those stints over the last two games.

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko

We talk about lack of athleticism for LA all season. Jaxson Hayes being out shouldnt as so big of a deal but he’s the only Laker that has athleticism/speed advantage on most nights.
Last 2 games Lakers really struggled on both ends with smallball units playing Vando at the 5.
2:22 AM · Jan 16, 2026

The Lakers’ three key bench players, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt, shot 1 of 10 from three last night, posting minus-17, minus-15, and minus-12 respectively. Vincent in particular had a rough shooting night, and he has become something of the epitome of the roster’s lack of athleticism and dynamism, which is understandably raising frustration among Lakers fans.

Jovan Buha
@jovanbuha
Fans are beginning to boo Gabe Vincent after he missed another open 3. He’s 0-for-7 overall and 0-for-5 on 3s.

9:42 PM · Jan 15, 2026 · 90.4K Views
104 Replies · 155 Reposts · 2.04K Likes

After the Kings game, I mentioned that the vibes had gone from great to poor over the last month. Last night was another game in which the body language did not reflect a connected team. If the Lakers want to make any kind of turnaround, it will need to start here.

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