Byron Scott is unconvinced that the Los Angeles Lakers have built a team capable of catching the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
In an interview with Kyle Odegard published Tuesday by Casino.org, Scott questioned whether Los Angeles belongs among the Western Conference’s leading contenders. His criticism centered on defense and whether the changes around Luka Doncic address the team’s most important weakness.
“I think the moves they made are OK,” Scott said. “It’s nothing that’s going to get them to the level where they need to be, as far as in that Western Conference. There are two studs in the Western Conference, and that’s OKC and San Antonio. The Lakers are not even close to those two teams right now.”
Scott also questioned the Lakers’ prospects of securing a top-four seed. He identified Minnesota, Denver and Houston as additional obstacles, making clear that his concerns extend beyond the two teams he views as the conference’s standard.
The comments put a pointed outside assessment alongside a much more optimistic view from inside the Lakers’ locker room. New center Walker Kessler has already argued that the team’s defensive personnel deserve more credit.
Those positions create a useful question for Los Angeles: How much can a new rim protector change a defense when the guards in front of him remain central to the offense?
Why the Lakers’ defense is under scrutiny
The Lakers ranked 20th defensively last season, allowing 115.5 points per 100 possessions, despite finishing 53-29.
That combination explains why a strong regular-season record does not settle the debate over championship potential. Winning enough games to earn a playoff place and sustaining a defense through a series against elite opponents are different tests.
A productive offense can help a team survive uneven defensive stretches, but it cannot prevent opponents from repeatedly targeting a favorable matchup.
Scott placed particular responsibility on Doncic to improve at that end. He also presented championship expectations as a continuing obligation for the franchise, rather than something that should be relaxed during a transition.
The challenge for JJ Redick is to turn individual defensive responsibilities into a workable five-man system. When a guard is beaten, the center may need to leave his assignment, a wing may need to cover the roller and another defender may have to rotate toward a shooter.
One successful contest does not necessarily finish the possession if nobody is positioned to rebound. That is why evaluating the new Lakers requires more than counting recognizable defenders.
The relevant question is whether their skills fit together in lineups that can also score. If a defensive combination sacrifices too much spacing, Redick would face a different problem at the other end.
Walker Kessler offers a different view
Kessler expressed confidence after the Lakers’ first training-camp practice on Sept. 29.
“Listen, I think we’re going to be a nasty defensive team,” Kessler said. “I think people aren’t taking into account how good our perimeter defense is going to be. A lot of guys are very smart on the perimeter and positionally can play really good defense. We have guys who are just ball hawks.”
His explanation emphasized the players around him. Kessler praised the perimeter group’s positioning and ability to pressure the ball, arguing that a defender staying attached to a driving opponent makes his own job easier.
Redick also described defensive principles as an early camp priority and praised the group’s physical approach. Those remarks preceded Scott’s interview publication and were not a response to him.
They nevertheless show that the team believes it has a specific route to improvement: combine pressure on the perimeter with protection near the basket.
The Lakers’ center position has undergone a substantial change. Their offseason move sending Deandre Ayton to Washington was part of a broader frontcourt reshaping.
Kessler averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in the 2024-25 season.
Those numbers illustrate why a center can influence more than the shots he blocks. A defensive rebound ends an opponent’s opportunity to score, while a credible contest can make a driver pass before attempting a layup.
Neither benefit requires the center to receive the ball on the next offensive possession. There are limits to what that role can solve, however.
An opponent can try to pull a rim protector away from the basket or force him to choose between a ballhandler and a rolling big man. The perimeter defenders still have to recover, communicate and prevent the first breakdown from becoming an uncontested shot elsewhere.
The standard set by Oklahoma City and San Antonio
Oklahoma City finished 64-18 and reached the Western Conference finals. San Antonio went 62-20 and advanced to the NBA Finals.
The Lakers therefore finished 11 wins behind the Thunder and nine behind the Spurs. Those gaps provide a concrete measure of the regular-season ground to recover, even though a new season brings different rosters and circumstances.
Their defensive benchmarks are demanding, too. The Thunder ranked first and the Spurs third in defensive rating last season.
Matching those teams does not require copying every part of their approach. It does require being able to produce stops without constantly depending on an exceptional offensive possession to answer at the other end.
Against a strong defense, even a gifted scorer can have a difficult stretch; a contender needs another way to stay in the game.
Los Angeles has an exceptional offensive starting point. Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game last season.
The construction problem is how to support that production while reducing the opportunities opponents create against the Lakers themselves.
Scott has offered his verdict before the regular season. Kessler has offered the team’s case for improvement.
The most revealing evidence will come from whether Los Angeles can defend effectively with its preferred offensive players on the floor, rather than having to choose between scoring and stops.
