The Los Angeles Lakers had one pressing roster need to fill heading into the 2025 offseason, and with limited resources, they managed to sign double-double machine Deandre Ayton. Ayton's stock has been dipping through the years, but the Lakers could not afford to be choosy considering how dire their frontcourt situation was in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade.
Alas, even with Ayton on the roster, the Lakers still have a few flaws they need to patch up if they were to mount a fight for a title in 2026. On Tuesday night, the Lakers faced a bit of a rude awakening, as the Golden State Warriors served them up with some humble pie in a 119-109 defeat for the Purple and Gold.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick, as per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, admitted that the team's lingering problem of starting the game slowly in second halves still exists and this is something they must rectify moving forward.
The Lakers fell by double digits in the first half, but a heater from Doncic and some valuable contributions from Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura kept LA in the game, as they trailed by just one heading into halftime. But in the third quarter, the Lakers lost steam — with the Warriors outscoring them by 10 in the period.
It was LA's defense that was sleepwalking for most of the quarter, and they suffered a negative feedback loop on offense as a result. The Warriors shot 60 percent from the field and made half of their triples in that pivotal period, and the Lakers simply could not recover.
It did not help that the Lakers were undisciplined on defense; they allowed the Dubs, a notoriously low-volume free-throw team, to shoot 29 free throws — with Jimmy Butler carving up the team over and over. Austin Reaves' impact was muted because he went into foul trouble.
It's back to the drawing board for Redick and company.
Lakers look to get to winning ways on Friday
There is a very strong chance that the Lakers start the season 0-2, as they will be facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. The Timberwolves memorably bludgeoned the Lakers on the glass during their first-round playoff matchup in 2025, and it remains to be seen if Deandre Ayton is the answer in the middle considering how he tended to fade in the background on opening night.
The Timberwolves have so many rangy defenders to give Doncic and Reaves trouble, and when those two are not initiating offense, then the Lakers are toast.
