Lakers Urged to Make Splash Move for All-NBA Defender

By Jalon DixonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The Los Angeles Lakers are winning, but they’re not fooling anyone.

At 15-5, Los Angeles owns one of the NBA’s best early-season records, yet a 115.8 points-per-game allowed average raises the same concern analysts have repeated for weeks: this defense won’t survive a deep playoff run.

That issue becomes even more glaring with LeBron James sidelined for long stretches. At nearly 41, he can still quarterback possessions, but relying on him as a stopper isn’t realistic.

With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves driving an explosive offense while providing minimal defensive resistance, the Lakers lack the athletic, switchable wing every contender depends on.

Why Herb Jones Is the Name Everyone’s Circling

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According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, New Orleans Pelicans wing Herb Jones is the exact profile Los Angeles needs.

“Why not go get somebody like a Herb Jones? Make an offer…give Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, a future first…maybe a little bit more,” O’Connor said on The Kevin O’Connor Show. “I think this team is that legit offensively.”

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Jones, a 2024 All-Defensive First Team selection, brings length, anticipation, and elite on-ball coverage, skills the Lakers currently lack. Though he played only 20 games last season due to a torn labrum, he remains one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders and is on a team-friendly three-year, $68 million extension.

In 16 games this season, Jones is averaging 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, and while his shooting has dipped, the Lakers wouldn’t be acquiring him for offense. They’d be asking him to take the toughest assignment every night and stabilize a defense ranked 17th in efficiency (114.9).

MORE: Clippers’ Season Unravels as James Harden Acknowledges Harsh Reality

A Necessary Move for a Contender

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Even with Dončić playing at an MVP level (35.1 points, 9.2 assists) and Reaves emerging as an All-Star candidate (28.8 points, 6.8 assists), the Lakers have shown they’re a middle-of-the-pack defensive team. Giving up 125 points to a shorthanded Suns team only highlighted the problem.

If Los Angeles wants to remain in the West’s top tier, the solution isn’t mysterious. It’s a player like Herb Jones, if Rob Pelinka can pry him loose.

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