The Los Angeles Lakers were flying high at the start of this 2025-26 NBA season, but they have come down to Earth a little bit lately. The Lakers’ latest setback came in the form of a 132-108 hammering at the hands of the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Tuesday.
The Lakers have now gone 4-5 in their last nine games after a 15-4 start, and have dropped to 19-9. This has been a rough stretch, and franchise icon James Worthy stated on Spectrum SportsNet after the game that they are getting exposed.
“A lot of loose holes in this Laker team right now,” Worthy said. “They gotten by winning with Luka [Doncic] and [Austin] Reaves having great games, but now they’re getting exposed a little bit, especially on the defensive end. And offensively, unless they have their Big 3 and they’re scoring, they struggle.”
A lot of that early success was down to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves playing at a ridiculously high level.
Doncic is averaging 34.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2025-26. Reaves, meanwhile, has put up 27.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. They had put the team on their backs early on, as LeBron James was out for the first 14 games due to sciatica.
James’ return has led to the Lakers needing to make a bit of adjustment, but it would be unfair to put the blame on him for this recent stretch. Doncic and Reaves’ missing time during these nine games hasn’t helped matters, and there were already signs early on that this team isn’t as good as the record indicates it is.
The Lakers went 4-2 in October despite having a 0.8 net rating, which ranked 13th in the NBA for the month. They followed that up by going 11-2 in November, but their 5.6 net rating for the month was only ninth-best.
The Lakers were on a 64-win pace at the end of November, but a deeper look made it clear they weren’t actually among the very best of the best in the NBA. They were an average to below-average defensive team that kept winning because their offense was functioning ever so well. They also won every clutch game they played (10-0), which further boosted the record.
It was only a matter of time, though, before the Lakers’ offense just wasn’t going to be able to keep up on a nightly basis. In these five losses in December, they have given up 123.6 points on average. They have allowed teams to score over 130 points in three of their last six games. That is not a recipe for success.
If the Lakers are to actually become serious title contenders, they need to trade for some quality defensive players. If they don’t, they’re set for another early postseason exit for all their offensive brilliance. They have been linked to some defensive-minded players, and it will be interesting to see if they get any of them before the February deadline.
As for the here and now, we’ll see the Lakers in action next against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday at 8 PM ET.
