The Los Angeles Lakers were dumped out of the NBA Cup in the quarterfinals by the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, and their film session afterward did not paint a pretty picture. Lakers guard Marcus Smart was asked at Saturday’s practice about a defensive meeting that head coach JJ Redick had mentioned, and he admitted the players got exposed in it.
“Nobody likes to go watch film after you get your a** kicked,” Smart said. “It’s tough, because the film never lies. It exposed us a lot, which we already knew. We were just winning a lot of games, so it was mitigated that way. But it was straight to it, we have to be able to guard.
“The scouting report against us is we’re not guarding people,” Smart continued. “And if we want to be great in this league and do what we’re trying to do, you have to be able to guard, especially in the West. These guys are no joke, and they’re coming. Especially [if] you got the Lakers across your jersey, they’re definitely coming with everything they have.
“So, you can’t be expecting any surprises, and that’s what it was,” Smart added. “It wasn’t no sugarcoating anything. It was, ‘This is what we got to do.’ We’ve been asked, let’s fix it.”
Defense was expected to be the Lakers’ biggest issue this season, and that has proven to be the case. While they have an impressive 17-7 record, their 116.7 defensive rating ranks 21st in the NBA. It’s also far worse when you only consider their recent games.
The Lakers’ 123.7 defensive rating in December ranks 29th in the league. They’re below teams like the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans, with only the lowly Washington Wizards (129.2) being worse off than them. To say this isn’t a recipe for success would be an understatement.
In the loss to the Spurs, the Lakers allowed the visitors to shoot 50.0% from the field and 44.7% from beyond the arc. Victor Wembanyama wasn’t playing, and they still had their way with that defense.
Smart was probably the only Laker who could claim to have played well defensively against the Spurs. He also impressed on offense, finishing with 26 points (9-16 FG), three rebounds, one assist, and one block. His playing so well after missing six games with a back injury was a big positive to come out of the loss.
While the Lakers got a boost with Smart’s return, they have suffered a blow in the form of Austin Reaves’ absence due to a mild calf strain. Reaves has been spectacular offensively, averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26. His absence means it’s even more crucial now that the Lakers play better defense.
“We lose one of our better players and one of our offensive threats,” Smart stated. “… It’s gonna call for everybody to pick up their game on both ends of the court to make up where we’re losing him.”
Redick has made it clear that they will do everything possible to improve on defense. He isn’t just going to accept where they currently stand, but you do wonder how much better this group can be. A trade might be the only way to improve significantly on that end.
The Lakers take on the Phoenix Suns next at the Mortgage Matchup Center on Sunday at 8 PM ET. The Suns blew them out 125-108 in their first meeting of the season on Dec. 1. The Lakers were poor defensively that night, and the Suns also played a lot harder than they did. Redick would be keen to avoid a repeat.
