LeBron James missed the opening 14 games of the season while dealing with a right-side sciatica issue. However, even after his return, the Los Angeles Lakers have continued to stumble. Their situation has worsened with Austin Reaves now sidelined due to a calf injury.
On a recent episode of his No Fouls Given podcast, NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce shared his concerns about the chemistry between LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Pierce suggested the connection doesn’t look as natural as what Luka had already developed with Reaves when LeBron was unavailable.
“[Austin Reaves & Luka Doncic] had some chemistry,” Pierce said. “This ain’t gonna look right with [LeBron James]… But everybody wanted to say it was hate when I said it wasn’t going to work… 15-4 before, 6-5 when he is there.
“[Austin Reaves & Luka Doncic] had some chemistry… This ain’t gonna look right with [LeBron James]… But everybody wanted to say it was hate when I said it wasn’t going to work… 15-4 before, 6-5 when he is there.”
— Paul Pierce 👀
(via @NFGShow)pic.twitter.com/tvZF66yV3Q
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 29, 2025
“You got three perimeter guys who are liabilities on defense between Luka, Reaves, and LeBron. They have no athleticism on the perimeter outside of LeBron … It’s not a good mix.”
Placing the blame solely on James for the Lakers’ recent struggles would be unfair. The deeper issue remains the team’s lack of strong, defense-first personnel, which has consistently hurt them regardless of lineup changes.
Draymond Green Says LeBron James and Luka Doncic Is Fully Aligned With JJ Redick’s Vision in LA
On his The Draymond Green Show, Draymond Green offered a different perspective about the Lakers leadership and coaching stability. Green emphasized that if LeBron and Luka are aligned with head coach JJ Redick’s approach, then the rest of the roster should follow suit.
“You have to ask yourself the question of how you think LeBron and Luka feel about their coach doing that,” Green said. “And quite honestly, I think they’re both really good with JJ Redick. I think they both have good relationships with JJ Redick. And I’m sure they both feel like their defense needs to be better.
“These aren’t two losers. LeBron’s obviously won at the highest level, and Luka just took a team to the finals a year and a half ago. So they know what it takes. So I can’t imagine they’re sick of their coach doing that.”
Redick took over as Lakers head coach in 2024 and led the team to a playoff appearance in his first season. Despite the current slump, Los Angeles had shown encouraging progress under his leadership earlier. Fans hope that adjustments, particularly on defense, could help steady the ship moving forward.
