Rashad McCants is not buying into the hype around the Los Angeles Lakers, even as the team continues to stack wins and climb the Western Conference standings.
Speaking on Gil’s Arena, McCants made his stance clear. The results look strong, but the process does not convince him. In his view, nothing fundamental has changed about how the Lakers play, and that becomes a problem once the playoffs begin.
“Let’s just talk about what’s happening out there on the floor. Nothing has changed about their game. Guys are hitting shots when ultimately there’s like a live-or-die scenario with every single possession. If Luka’s not taking the shot, if AR is not getting fouled, Lakers are in trouble.”
“Deandre Ayton still don’t know what the hell he is out there. He don’t know if he’s going to get the ball. He don’t know if he’s going to get a lob. Rui, he gotta find the ball whenever he can find it to shoot it.”
“And if you still gonna depend on Luka to really anchor the offense based on his performances, first half explosions, and doing what he does on a regular night-to-night basis, they not gonna go far, because they don’t have any X factors.”
“I don’t think that LeBron is gonna be the X factor. He needs to be the X factor. And now Swag said he pushed him to the corner. And now you don’t really know what kind of LeBron you’re gonna get. And I think that’s going to be the difference. And they don’t play no f***ing defense.
“Like Houston f***ed the game up. Durant should have did way more than he did. And I think Ime is putting him in a tough spot, not actually drawing up plays. Forcing them to play into the pick and rolls and all that stuff and the double teams.”
“But you look at the last three tough teams they played, it’s Rockets, Nuggets, Knicks, and Timberwolves. Those are good games to win. Those are solid games to go in and steal. But the manner in which they’re winning these games don’t solidify you being a playoff team, and you’re gonna go in and win a playoff series.”
“I think right now the Lakers still need to change a pace. They need to change a gear. They need to figure something out other than the Luka Magic show. We’ve seen this. So when you can isolate that in the playoffs, they’re dead. Because AR, he’s still in limbo. He’s still trying to figure out if he can go back to being the old AR or not.”
“But 25 a game is nice. It’s solid, but it ain’t enough.”
The Lakers are on a six-game winning streak and have gone 9-1 in their last ten games, pushing their record to 42-25 and moving up to third in the West. Since the All-Star break, they are 10-4, with top-tier production on both ends, ranking fifth in offensive rating, 12th in defensive rating, and seventh in net rating.
In March alone, those numbers improve further, with a top-six mark on both offense and defense, with an 8-1 record.
On paper, that looks like a contender.
McCants sees something different.
He believes the Lakers rely too heavily on Luka Doncic to carry the offense, especially with his scoring bursts and ability to control the game. If Luka is not creating or scoring, McCants argues the offense becomes predictable and easier to shut down.
He pointed to Austin Reaves as the secondary option, noting that while Reaves is producing around 25 points per game, that alone does not provide enough balance. That creates a ‘live or die’ style offense.
He also questioned LeBron James and his role.
LeBron has accepted a reduced offensive load, operating as a third option behind Luka and Reaves, but McCants believes the team still needs him to be an X-factor. The concern is inconsistency. If LeBron is not aggressive or involved enough, the Lakers lose a key dimension that could stabilize the offense in tight moments.
Despite those concerns, the Lakers have beaten quality opponents during this stretch, including the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets. Those wins show growth and improvement, especially on the defensive end, where effort and execution have picked up.
That is the counterargument.
But McCants is focused on what comes next. Regular-season success does not guarantee playoff results. He believes the Lakers still need another gear, another layer to their offense, and more clarity in their roles if they want to make a deep run.
Right now, they are winning. The question is whether that formula holds when the margin for error disappears.
