Lakers Legend Gets Brutally Honest About Team's Title Chances

Jan 30, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward/guard Luka Doncic (77) talks with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of star power during the 2025-26 season, with LeBron James and Luka Doncic leading the way, and Austin Reaves starting to make a name for himself in the NBA.

Even though the Lakers don’t lack stars, with this trio being among some of the best in the league, Los Angeles has many flaws, which could be the team’s undoing once the NBA playoffs roll around on April 18.

There’s no question that this talented trio in Los Angeles can light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis, but they are not leading a good team defensively, and that continues to be a major issue in the final stretch of the regular season.

Byron Scott: Lakers Have ‘No’ Chance to Win a Title This Year

One Lakers legend who has a lot of experience in this area, Byron Scott, who won three championships with the storied franchise, doesn’t think his former team has any chance of winning it all this year, as he said on his Fast Break podcast.

“They ain’t winning no championship this year,” Scott said of the Lakers’ title chances. “Listen, we all bleed purple and gold, but again, you got to be 100. They ain’t winning no championship this year. They don’t have enough. They don’t have enough. They got obviously three great players, right? But you need 10.

“OKC won the championship last year ’cause they were 10 deep. If you watch an OKC game right now and they win the game, if you watch them doing an interview with Shai, guess what? Almost the whole team is around him. That is us in the ’80s, where everybody wants everybody to do well.”

Although it may seem harsh how adamantly Scott shoots down any notion of the Lakers being a legitimate title contender this season, it’s hard to argue he isn’t right on the money with his assessment, especially when comparing the team to the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who are firing on all cylinders once again this season.

The fact of the matter is that the Lakers simply aren’t a good defensive team, and that will be a glaring weakness come playoff time in the same way it was last year when they were eliminated in the first round by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.

Until the Lakers make some drastic defensive changes, which will likely come this summer in NBA free agency and through trades, the team will have to settle for being a tier below the elite teams in the Western Conference.