On paper, the duo of LeBron James and Luka Dončić looks overwhelming. Early in the 2025–26 season, it looked exactly that way. But as the season has worn on, the cracks have become harder to ignore. The Lakers have dropped three of their last five games, including a sobering 22-point blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, February 22.
In that loss, Los Angeles shot just 39.1% from the field compared to Boston’s 48.2% a disparity that highlighted growing concerns about offensive stagnation.
JJ Redick Takes Responsibility for Lakers’ Ball Movement, Admitting Reliance on Luka Doncic and LeBron James
Those concerns were addressed directly by the head coach, JJ Redick, who didn’t deflect when asked whether the Lakers’ offense has become too predictable. Redick offered a blunt assessment and placed the responsibility squarely on himself.
“When teams play the deep drop, we have our counters and we just got to execute,” Redick said. “I took ownership of that. We have our counters for deep drop. We got to do a better job of it. We looked it up today — our lowest potential assist games are all against the deep drop, so I got to do a better job.”
The numbers back him up. Los Angeles currently ranks 10th in offensive rating at 117.2, a respectable mark, but one that undersells the talent on the roster.
Dončić is at his best with the ball, dissecting defenses through pick-and-rolls and isolations. But that performance can come at a cost. Ball movement has suffered, particularly when defenses sag into deep drop coverage, daring the Lakers to beat them with quick decisions and off-ball motion.
That’s where the tension lies. The Lakers are built with multiple high-level facilitators, not just one. James, even at 41, remains a game-changer capable of controlling pace and punishing mismatches. Reaves has grown into an All-Star-level talent who can run offense and score at all three levels.
Yet when all three share the floor for extended stretches, the offense can become static. Too often, possessions devolve into one player attacking while the other two wait on the perimeter. The result is an offense that is efficient in bursts but, over time, easier to read.
The issue was clear in the loss to Boston. The Celtics stayed disciplined, protected the paint, and forced Los Angeles into difficult shots late in the clock. The Lakers never found a steady rhythm and struggled to generate easy looks.
Despite those issues, the Lakers are still fifth in the Western Conference with a 34-22 record, firmly in the playoff picture. The concern isn’t about survival but the ceiling. Redick’s admission suggests the coaching staff is aware that relying too heavily on James and Dončić’s brilliance, while effective in clutch moments, may not be sustainable over four quarters or a seven-game series.
For now, the Lakers remain dangerous, especially late in games when isolation-heavy play can tilt the outcome in their favor. But if they want a deep playoff run, the Lakers must make their offense less predictable and far more connected.
