標籤: L.A.s

After the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to eight games with a 134-126 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green offered a measured assessment of their championship outlook.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show, Green pointed to Luka Doncic’s influence on the Lakers’ recent surge, while also casting doubt on whether Los Angeles is strong enough defensively to make a deep title run.

“Luka is playing absolutely incredible. The irony is the Lakers are playing absolutely incredible, the irony is DeAndre Ayton is playing better, the irony is Marcus Smart is playing better. Because that’s the magic of Luka Doncic. Luka makes everybody around him better at the top of their game. So, you ask yourself how dangerous can they be in the playoffs? And other than me I’d say absolutely dangerous. No, but the other side of me knows better. You got Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the court at the same time, you always have a chance against anybody.”

Green’s comments come as the Lakers continue to gain momentum heading into the season behind their star duo of Doncic and LeBron James. Los Angeles has looked increasingly dangerous offensively in its recent run, with Doncic producing at a high level and James providing consistent playmaking, rebounding and veteran leadership.

Draymond Green likely to be a real contender on the Lakers:

“You ask yourself how dangerous they can be during the playoffs, besides me I want to say not dangerous at all but the other side of me knows better. You put Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the court at the same time… pic.twitter.com/kYEsPPMj43

– NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) 20 March 2026

Draymond Green evaluates Lakers’ title chances with LeBron James, Luka Doncic

The Lakers’ recent performance has solidified their position atop the Western Conference standings and reinforced the ceiling many have created with a roster built around two of the league’s most efficient offensive players. Doncic’s ability to control the pace, set up for teammates and generate efficient offense has added a different dimension to a team that already relies heavily on James in key moments.

Still, Green made it clear his main concern with the Lakers focuses on the other end of the floor.

“The teams that will put pressure on them that will make it difficult for them in the playoffs are making them guard. They’re not a great defensive team at all, do some fake things like some fake zone turns that turn into a guy. And in a playoff series if you’re doing that for maybe a game, maybe two games they figure out some plays to dice up and then you have to play routine defense and then it takes us back to the core issues of the Lakers. It’s been like this since the beginning of the season. I don’t know if they’re good enough defensively to ultimately win it, but they’ll always be dangerous in the playoffs.

This assessment captures the central question surrounding Los Angeles as the postseason approaches. The Lakers have enough offensive star power to challenge any opponent in a playoff series, but concerns remain about whether they can hold off consistently against the conference’s top teams in seven-game matchups.

For now, the Lakers continue their upward trend at a key point on the schedule. With the leadership of James and Doncic, Los Angeles has built momentum and positioned itself to enter the postseason as one of the Western Conference’s most intriguing teams, even if questions about its defensive ceiling remain unresolved.

On Sunday, the NBA All-Star Game begins at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, with Lakers star LeBron James taking part in the festivities. James was recently made ineligible for the All-NBA team this year due to his absence from the lineup this season, but he will still be in uniform for fans during All-Star weekend.

It’s been an up-and-down season so far for the Lakers, and recently, James has been 100% honest on his team’s title chances entering the extension of the campaign.

According to Brett Siegel, formerly of ClutchPoints, on Twitter, James said, “Our success will depend on our health.”

Health has actually been a major question mark for the Lakers at times this season, as James missed the early portion of the campaign, and Austin Reaves was recently sidelined for nearly a month in the midst of his breakout campaign.

Lakers star Luka Doncic has also been out of the lineup for the past few games, although he will be able to participate in Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Even when fully healthy, many pundits are skeptical of the Lakers’ ability to compete for a championship, given the lack of two-way players on the roster. While Los Angeles has the offensive firepower to compete with anyone, there aren’t many above-average defenders on the roster, a problem that was fully exposed by the Minnesota Timberwolves during last year’s playoffs.

Still, as James said, staying healthy will greatly help this Lakers team maximize its chances in April, and so far, that has been a big challenge for the team in 2025-26.

In any case, the All-Star Game is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 5:00 PM ET. Meanwhile, the Lakers will next be at home against the Clippers on Friday.