The Los Angeles Lakers have shown a lot of improvement defensively lately, but Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green isn’t all too impressed by what he has seen. Green spoke about the Lakers’ recent good stretch on The Draymond Green Show, and while he’s giving them a chance come playoffs because of Luka Doncic and LeBron James, he thinks that their defense might prove to be their downfall.
“Luka’s been playing absolutely incredible,” Green said. “Ironically, the Lakers have been playing absolutely incredible. Ironically, Deandre Ayton has been playing better. Ironically, Marcus Smart’s been playing better because that is the magic of Luka Doncic. Luka at the top of his game makes everyone around him better. And so you ask yourself, how dangerous can they be during the playoffs?
“And a part of me want to say not very dangerous at all,” Green continued. “But the other side of me know better. You got Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the court at the same time. You have a chance, always against anyone. Teams that will put pressure on them that will make it tough on them in the playoffs is making them guard. Not a great defensive team at all.
“Kind of does some gimmicky stuff like some gimmicky zone that turns into a man,” Green added. “And in a playoff series, if you’re doing that like maybe one game, maybe two games, they figure out a couple plays to dice that s*** up, and then you got to play regular defense… I just don’t know if they’re good enough defensively to ultimately take it all the way, but they will always be dangerous in the playoffs.”
The Lakers have a 111.9 defensive rating in March, which ranks 10th in the NBA. That improvement on defense is a big reason why they have gone 10-1 in the month and have won their last eight games. They have managed to put the clamps on the likes of Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, and Kevin Durant during this stretch.
Defense had always been pointed to as the reason the Lakers won’t be winning the championship this season, but there was now optimism about their chances. Green doesn’t believe, though, that they’ll fare well on that end of the floor. The 36-year-old thinks if they do go all the way, it’ll be down to that offense.
The Lakers’ 121.5 offensive rating in March is the best in the NBA. Their Big 3 of Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves weren’t playing great together in the first half of the campaign, but they are shining now. Green reckons how Reaves plays in the postseason could be the key.
“I think one key piece of the playoffs for this team is going to be Austin Reaves has not fared very well when he draws like a Jaden McDaniels,” Green stated. “… They’re going to need Austin Reaves to take that next step in the playoffs, which I think he’s capable of. Last year was really his first year kind of being feature player. And so that takes some adjusting.
“I think now that he struggled a bit in the playoffs last year, he’ll understand that better, what he needs to do, and I think it’ll ultimately help him out,” Green added. “I think JJ [Redick] also will understand that he struggled last year and try to put him in better positions to be successful.”
Reaves averaged 16.2 points on just 41.1% shooting from the field as the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers in five games in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. Green expects him to play better, and he should. Reaves has averaged 28.0 points per game against the Timberwolves this season, and it seems unlikely they’ll be able to shut him down in the playoffs again.
As things stand, that will be a first-round playoff matchup, as the Lakers are third in the West with a 45-25 record, while the Timberwolves are sixth with a 43-28 record. It will be fascinating to see how different or similar things would be.
