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[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Rumors: Organization Not Happy With Recent Rich Paul Podcast Comments

Rich Paul, the Klutch Sports co-founder and agent of LeBron James, has found himself in the news recently due to comments made on his new podcast “Game Over” with Max Kellerman. Most recently, Paul shared his thoughts that the Los Angeles Lakers should trade guard Austin Reaves to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr. as he feels the big man would be a better fit long-term alongside superstar guard Luka Doncic.

The comments caused a frenzy and even James himself had to come out and make it clear that Paul’s comments were not a reflection on how he feels about his Lakers teammate. And apparently these comments are not sitting well with the Lakers organization as a whole, according to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha:

“I can confirm that people have not been happy. I’m not gonna go more specific than that, but I would just say people have not been happy with that pod and some of the comments… There was the ’they’re not contenders’ and that one thing, and even some people inside that building might believe that at the core if you gave them truth serum. It’s one thing to think that privately, one thing to put that out publicly. But then some of the stuff that has come out since, most notably I think recently this whole trade Austin Reaves for Jaren Jackson Jr., who basically averages the same amount of rebounds and that would’ve been an interesting trade a year ago, but Austin Reaves is just a straight up better player than Jaren Jackson Jr. and has more trade value than Jaren Jackson Jr. So if Memphis wants to throw in multiple picks and GG Jackson, then maybe that’s a conversation. But the general framework of JJJ for Austin Reaves straight up does not make any sense, in my opinion, from the Lakers side… But it’s been some interesting comments coming out of that because that is uncommon, for an agent to commenting on his player’s team to this degree and saying basically I would trade this guy, especially a guy who is sort of in contract competition for his client.”

As Buha noted, there were likely some who internally believe that the Lakers aren’t contenders as currently constructed, but it’s something you just don’t say out in public and that is their issue. And while Jackson is undoubtedly a talented player, he has been struggling this season and doesn’t help fix the Lakers’ perimeter defensive issues.

Paul has the right to say whatever he wants on his podcast, but he must understand that when he speaks on the Lakers, where his biggest client plays, those words could cause some issues between himself, LeBron and the entire organization.

Austin Reaves’ agent spoke with Rich Paul at halftime of Lakers game vs. Hawks​

If the Lakers aren’t happy with Paul’s comments then Reaves and his team surely didn’t care for them either and in fact, Reaves’ agent reportedly had a conversation with Paul during the team’s recent victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-rum...happy-with-recent-rich-paul-podcast-comments/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Lakers Defense Struggles In Blowout Loss To Hornets

The Los Angeles Lakers picked up one of their best wins of the season against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday and were looking to build off that when they hosted the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.

The Lakers have typically fared well against lesser opponents, but that wasn’t the case in this one as the Hornets took it to them for a 135-117 win.

L.A. actually got off to a hot start as LeBron James hit a 3-pointer, followed by five straight points by Marcus Smart and six straight by Luka Doncic. After a triple by Jake LaRavia, the Hornets needed an early timeout with the Lakers leading 17-7.

Miles Bridges got hot with three 3s in a row to keep the game from getting out of hand, but Doncic outdid him with 19 points in the first quarter and the Lakers led 39-30.

As has been happening a lot lately, the Lakers got careless with the ball to begin the second quarter. LaMelo Ball was getting his teammates involved, including an alley-oop to Bridges to tie the game at 43.

The Lakers also went ice cold in the second quarter as they had just one field goal in eight minutes. They were also getting frustrated with the officiating, allowing the Hornets to push the pace and build a lead.

It was truly a dreadful second quarter for the Lakers after the hot start as they were outscored 34-16, heading into the halftime locker room trailing 64-55.

Ball came out hot to begin the third quarter as a pair of 3s stretched the Hornets’ lead to 15. The Lakers began chipping away from there as James was doing a good job of getting his teammates open looks.

Doncic also got going again offensively after a quiet second quarter, getting the deficit back to single digits.

Despite a 38-point quarter from the Lakers though, they dug an even bigger hole by giving up 40, heading into the fourth quarter trailing 104-93.

With the Lakers’ inability to get stops, coming back from down double digits was a tough task. They started chipping away once again though, forcing a timeout by Charlotte after a James layup made it 109-103.

That was immediately met with a quick 9-0 run by the Hornets though as the Lakers seemed to be running out a gas. Ball continued to pour it on while the Lakers watching in frustration, eventually pulling the plug and suffering the loss.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

The Lakers will get a day off before a tough back-to-back on Saturday on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers and then on Sunday back at home against the Toronto Raptors.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-lakers-defense-struggles-in-blowout-loss-to-hornets/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Marcus Smart: Lakers Need To Adapt To Officiating Instead Of Complaining

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another disappointing loss on Thursday night, getting blown out by the Charlotte Hornets on their home court.

These type of losses have become a theme for the Lakers as they have struggled against athletic, physical teams all year.

Charlotte’s physicality clearly impacted them in the loss as the Lakers were seen complaining about a number of no-calls by the officials instead of getting back on defense.

After the game, Marcus Smart made it clear that needs to stop, even if they have a case.

“It definitely doesn’t help. [When] you think you got fouled or a call that should’ve been called, instead of getting back, we’re talking to the officials a lot. That definitely doesn’t help,” Smart said. “I don’t think that has anything on why we are losing. We do a good job of getting to the free throw line. Obviously, you want to get there more, but that’s just how the game has been called. We have to be able to adapt to it and understand that we’re just not getting there. The calls aren’t being called for us, that’s OK. We got to play on it then onto the next round.”

Foul calls are down across the league in recent weeks as officials are letting teams play with more physicality. With that being said, Smart urged his team to match that physicality and even foul more.

“We just got to start fouling. As I was saying, they can’t call them all. The toughest team sets the rules. So we just got to come out. We just got to be aggressive whether they call it or not. We can’t change how we play because of it,” Smart said.

Playing with physicality and getting away with fouls is a skill that Smart has mastered throughout the course of his career. The issue is the Lakers lack players like that on their roster outside of him, which makes it tough to adjust when the officials are letting them play, as they did on Thursday.

LeBron James and Luka Doncic are both known for complaining about calls a lot, but hopefully Smart’s comments get taken to heart as it is impacting the Lakers in a negative way.

JJ Redick on Lakers’ defensive struggles​

The Lakers gave up 135 points to the Hornets and head coach JJ Redick diagnosed what went wrong defensively in the loss.

“I saw the same thing everybody else saw. They made some ridiculous shots,” Redick said. “You’re gonna have certain breakdowns in your defense and that third quarter, that could have been really deflating for our team and it wasn’t. We kept fighting and played some really good basketball. I think in general, with our team, it’s against certain teams that have dynamic drivers, which the Hornets, they have some really good drivers and they haven a ton of shooting. We can be a little bit cautious guarding the ball and if we do get beat off the dribble, then we’re in rotation. I thought our low-man was awful all night and so we’re scared of the drive.

“And then, we’re just too far off from the body. There was some of that tonight and that’s a good offensive team. They had 150 against Utah and blew out OKC at [Oklahoma City]. I think everybody, our coaching staff and the guys in the locker room, we all knew that. They got our full respect and attention pregame and thought we fought. Just another team that has a hot shooting night.”

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/marcus-smart-lakers-need-to-adapt-to-officiating-instead-of-complaining/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Injury Report: Luka Doncic Out, Deandre Ayton & Jaxson Hayes Questionable Vs. Trail Blazers

The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Saturday’s game on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers and Luka Doncic (left groin soreness), Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) are out while Deandre Ayton (left knee soreness) and Jaxson Hayes (left hamstring tendinopathy) are questionable.

This means the Lakers will be shorthanded once again as they take on the Trail Blazers in the first night of a back-to-back.

Doncic has been dealing with this groin soreness for about a week now but has managed to play through it up until this point. After the Lakers’ recent win over the Atlanta Hawks, however, he admitted that the issue seemed to be getting worse. With that being the case, it makes sense with sit him out in Portland to give him two days in a row off with hopes that he will be back in the lineup in the second end of the back-to-back at home on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.

Without Doncic in the lineup though, other players will need to step up to beat a scrappy Trail Blazers team on the road. LeBron James will handle primary ball-handling duties but will need some help, which is where guys like Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent and Kobe Bufkin step in.

The Lakers could also be without both of their centers with Ayton and Hayes being listed as questionable. Hayes’ hamstring injury is not believed to be a serious one as he is expected to return at some point this weekend after missing two games, whether that be against Portland or Toronto.

The hope is that either Ayton or Hayes will be able to suit up, or both, but if not then the Lakers will be leaning on Maxi Kleber, Drew Timme and small-ball lineups.

For a team that comes in losers of four of their last five, the Lakers are desperate to get a win in Portland, a place they have typically struggled over the years. That won’t be an easy task with Doncic, Reaves and others potentially out of the lineup, although the Trail Blazers are expected to be missing some key pieces as well.

Luka Doncic: Lakers told on themselves with effort​

The Lakers played one of their best games of the season against the Hawks but then followed it up with a dud against the Charlotte Hornets. After that loss, Doncic admitted the Lakers told on themselves with their lack of effort, which needs to be consistent every night.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-inj...n-jaxson-hayes-questionable-vs-trail-blazers/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Jake LaRavia Takes Pride In Wearing Lakers Jersey

Despite recent struggles for the Los Angeles Lakers, a bright spot has been forward Jake LaRavia, as he was thrust into the starting lineup with Rui Hachimura sidelined.

Specifically in his last 10 games, he is averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals on 49.5% from the field and 39.6% from 3-point range. Due to LaRavia’s strong play, it is hard to imagine him not staying in the starting lineup along with being a perimeter defender, which is rare on this Lakers roster.

Although the 24-year-old had offensive struggles, he is active defensively and tries to impact the game in different ways. A reason behind his high effort and energy is that he takes pride in wearing a Lakers jersey.

“I said it when I first got here. It means something to wear Lakers across your chest,” LaRavia recently said. “Like you said, I grew up a fan. My dad grew up a fan of the Lakers. We understand, and I understand, the impact that it has to play for this team. The impact it has for the fans to come out and watch us every game and support us and cheer for us. So I wear the Lakers with pride across my chest every night.”

When signing with L.A. this summer, the 6’7″ forward made it apparent that his family is Lakers fans and luckily an opportunity presented itself to join the team. Having a player who takes ownership in representing the team he plays for tends to correlate to play on the court and fans resonate with that as well.

Honestly, the Lakers need more energy players as the trade deadline approaches. Los Angeles’ best lineup this year is LaRavia and Marcus Smart starting next to Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton.

Having a balance of offense and defense with the starters is a necessity. LaRavia is responsible for improving the team’s defense, but there needs to be buy-in from everyone if they hope to turn the ship around.

JJ Redick praises Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes for recent play​

Role players are vital to a team’s success if they hope to compete for championships. However, the Lakers have remained last in bench scoring for a considerable amount of this season.

Yet, LaRavia’s insertion into the starting lineup has garnered positive results, along with Jaxson Hayes, who closed games recently in favor of Deandre Ayton at times. Head coach JJ Redick is taking notes of those two and praised their play as of late.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/jake-laravia-takes-pride-in-wearing-lakers-jersey/

 

[Zedster]

Man, what a rollercoaster week for the Lakers. That Hawks win had me thinking we turned a corner, then Charlotte comes in and drops 135 on us at home. Classic Lakers inconsistency this season.

The Rich Paul stuff is really frustrating to watch unfold. I get that he has a podcast and wants to generate buzz, but suggesting we trade Austin Reaves for JJJ is wild. Reaves has been one of our most consistent players and honestly has better trade value right now. Buha is right - if Memphis wants to throw in picks and sweeteners, maybe that's a conversation, but straight up? No way. And the fact that LeBron had to publicly distance himself from his own agent's comments tells you how poorly that landed in the locker room.

Smart's comments about adapting to the officiating instead of complaining really need to sink in with this team. We spend way too much time arguing with refs instead of getting back on defense. It's been a problem all year. LeBron and Luka are both guilty of it, and it kills our transition defense.

Now Doncic is out with groin soreness against Portland, plus Reaves is still sidelined. That's a lot of playmaking and scoring missing from the lineup. Really hoping Ayton or Hayes can go because we cannot afford to be undersized against the Blazers.

On a positive note, LaRavia has been a pleasant surprise. Love that he takes pride in wearing the purple and gold - you can see it in his effort on defense. That starting lineup with him and Smart alongside the stars has been our best look this year.

Anyone else worried about the trade deadline? Feels like we need to make a move for some perimeter defense.

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Shorthanded Lakers Can’t Keep Up With Trail Blazers

The Los Angeles Lakers are going through a rough stretch of their schedule, playing five games in seven nights. That continued on Saturday night when they traveled to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in the first night of a back-to-back.

Part of what has made this stretch so tough is the injuries the team is dealing with and that was again the case in this one with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes among those out. As a result, the Lakers suffered their fifth loss in their last six games, falling 132-116.

With both of the Lakers’ centers out, Maxi Kleber got a rare start and actually had nine quick points to give his team an early lead. Drew Timme then came of the bench and picked up where Kleber left off with seven points of his own.

The Lakers were struggling to keep the Trail Blazers off the free throw line as they committed 13 fouls in the first quarter, leading to 22 free throws. After a strong close to the first quarter by Portland, they led 40-27.

With LeBron James struggling from the field, Marcus Smart, Timme and Kleber continued to carry the load offensively as the Lakers began to cut into the deficit.

James eventually got going with seven straight points for L.A., but the Trail Blazers beat the halftime buzzer with an alley-oop to get the lead back to double digits at 71-61.

Smart’s hot shooting continued to start the third quarter with him hitting three triples, but the Lakers were struggling to get stops and keep the Blazers off the free throw line.

The game started to get away from L.A. at that point with Portland catching fire from deep, extending the lead to 107-90 at the end of the third quarter. James made a layup to beat the buzzer and got hit across the head on the play, but ended up being OK.

No foul was called, so JJ Redick was given a technical foul for arguing in favor of his star as the Lakers’ frustration was clearly mounting.

Despite their disagreements with the officiating, L.A. tried to mount one last comeback and went on a 7-0 run to cut it to 11. That was immediately met with back-to-back triples by Portland, putting the final nail in the coffin.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

It will be a short turnaround for the Lakers as they return to Los Angeles and host the Toronto Raptors in the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-shorthanded-lakers-cant-keep-up-with-trail-blazers/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

JJ Redick: Injuries Have Been Norm For Lakers All Season

The Los Angeles Lakers played on Saturday night without Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, Jaxson Hayes or Deandre Ayton in the lineup. The result was head coach JJ Redick starting Maxi Kleber at center, Gabe Vincent at guard and using two-way players Drew Timme and Kobe Bufkin for a combined 51 minutes of action.

Despite Timme having a career game, the Lakers lost by 16 points and were annihilated on the boards. Timme was the team’s second-leading scorer with 21 points, despite not being in a regular NBA rotation since April of 2025.

But these types of games are somewhat familiar for L.A. this season. They have been without Reaves and LeBron James for significant stretches. Doncic has missed games, as have Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Hayes and Ayton. And that’s exactly what Redick’s sentiment was after the loss on Saturday, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“We don’t go into games thinking tonight is gonna be rough or we can’t win. Our belief level, expectations and standards don’t change. This has been like the normal all season. We’ve won some games, we’ve actually beaten a lot of good teams. You play a team the second time around sometimes and you rewatch the game and you’re like oh shoot, we didn’t have Austin that game, or we didn’t have Luka that game, or we didn’t have Rui that game, or we didn’t have DA that game. So this has just been our season. And every team is going through it, I’m not trying to say we’re singled out. This is just been our season. You get one guy healthy, another guy gets injured. You get another guy back, another gets injured, two guys go out so now you play without your two centers. Just been our season.”

Redick says that the Lakers are keeping the same mentality every game regardless of who is in or out of the lineup. However, the Lakers losing 15 of their 16 games this season by double figures shows they are quick to let a game get away from them.

Saturday night felt like a loss from the jump, and there was no significant push by L.A. throughout the game to make it a more manageable deficit. Hopefully, on Sunday, they can start to right the ship against the Toronto Raptors to avoid a stretch of 1-6 in seven games.

JJ Redick calls for Lakers to stay level-headed​

Despite the recent losing stretch, Redick does not want the Lakers to cave or give up on wins until they are healthy. He called on the team to stay level-headed after blowout losses like Saturday.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/jj-redick-injuries-have-been-norm-for-lakers-all-season/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Lakers Close 5-Game In 7-Day Stretch With Dominant Win Over Raptors

The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling as of late, losing five of their last six games, with injuries playing a big role in that.

Things didn’t get any easier for the Lakers on Sunday as they returned home to host the Toronto Raptors in the second night of a back-to-back to close out a five-game in seven-day stretch. To their credit though, the Lakers stepped up in a big way and came out with a 110-93 victory to improve their record to 25-16. The 93 points allowed were a season-low by L.A.

It was a slow start for the Lakers as Luka Doncic missed his first five shots and picked up a technical foul out of frustration after a missed goaltend on Toronto. Doncic finally got a triple to go, cutting the Lakers’ early deficit to 20-16.

The Lakers were slugging in the first quarter, resulting in a 30-23 deficit. They flipped a switch to start the second quarter, however, as LeBron James went into attack mode. Doncic then found Deandre Ayton for a pair of alley-oops, starting the corner on a 22-6 run to completely flip the script and take the lead.

After going up by nine though, the Raptors responded with a 9-0 run as Brandon Ingram got going and eventually took the lead back for his team. Doncic finally caught fire at the end of the half and beat the buzzer with a triple, sending the Lakers into the locker room with a 55-54 lead.

It was a game of runs as the Lakers ripped off five quick points to begin the third quarter before the Raptors responded with seven straight to regain the lead.

The Lakers got going from deep towards the end of the third quarter as Rui Hachimura and James both connected, causing the Raptors to take a timeout. Jarred Vanderbilt was playing exceptional defense on Ingram, allowing L.A. to take an 87-80 lead into the fourth quarter.

James had a pair of buckets to begin the fourth and then Smart hit a 3, extending the lead to double digits for the first time.

The Lakers took control from there as Ayton continued to dominate inside, growing the lead even more. After a Vanderbilt dunk in transition to go up 18, the Lakers had no issues closing out the victory.

What’s next for the Lakers…​

The Lakers will now head out on an eight-game road trip, their longest of the season, starting with their first matchup with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-lakers-close-5-game-in-7-day-stretch-with-dominant-win-over-raptors/