The Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles this season are no longer just about effort, injuries, or chemistry. The numbers openly indicate the lineup choices. According to lineup data with a minimum threshold of 150 possessions, the Lakers’ most-used starting five ranks as the fifth-worst five-man unit in the entire NBA.
That group featuring Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton owns a brutal -16.7 net rating. That is not just bad. It is catastrophic for a team with playoff expectations.
What makes this worse is that the issues show up on both ends of the floor. Offensively, the lineup lacks pace and balance. Defensively, it is borderline unplayable against quality competition. There is no true point-of-attack defender, no wing stopper, and no one who can consistently absorb the hardest perimeter assignments. That burden ends up falling on LeBron and Rui far too often, which is not sustainable.
Rui Hachimura is the obvious pressure point in this configuration. This is not an argument that Rui is a bad player. In isolation, he has been efficient and productive, averaging 12.8 points while shooting over 52% from the field and 44% from three. The issue is role and fit. With Luka and LeBron on the floor, Rui is being asked to guard elite wings every night, chase shooters, fight over screens, and rotate flawlessly. That has never been his strength.
The numbers make this impossible to ignore. When the Lakers’ starters play without Rui Hachimura, the team posts a +22.2 net rating. That swing is massive and speaks directly to defensive functionality. The current starting five simply does not have the athleticism or defensive versatility to survive.
The Lakers were exposed in the last couple of weeks, as they lost five of their last 10 games, all by blowout margins. They have a 21-11 record, as they sit fifth in the West. The Lakers are the only team in the top 16 with a negative net rating.
And this is where Marcus Smart becomes critical. The Lakers do not need another scorer in the starting group. They need someone who can defend at the point of attack, communicate, and set a tone. Smart does all of that. He can guard guards, wings, and switch onto bigger players without collapsing the scheme. More importantly, he allows LeBron to conserve energy and Luka to avoid being hunted every possession.
Starting Smart does not mean Rui becomes irrelevant. It actually puts him in a better position. Against second units, Rui’s scoring and efficiency become weapons instead of liabilities. His defensive weaknesses are less exposed, and his offensive value increases.
This is not a complicated fix. The Lakers’ current starting five is statistically one of the worst in the league. The data is loud. Continuing to ignore it would be stubborn roster management. Adjusting it now by inserting a defensive specialist is the clearest path to stabilizing a team that cannot afford to keep bleeding points from its opening lineup.
