The NBA regular season is now just days away, as the preseason dress rehearsal comes to an end for the Los Angeles Lakers. But the Lakers’ last 6 games were far from glorious. On Friday, they ended the slate with a 116-117 loss against the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Thus finishing off with a 1-5 record. There were highs, like that of Reaves in a few games, and lows like the team failing as a unit. As always, head coach JJ Redick was blunt with his feelings, while Luka Doncic pointed out the loopholes.

Luka Doncic played his second preseason game and chipped in 31 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists in a losing cause. Meanwhile, Gabe Vincent and Marcus Smart had 14 points each, but Austin Reaves struggled at 8 in his 33 minutes. Now, during the post-game presser, the media had a series of curious questions as the Lakers enter the 2025-26 season against the Golden State Warriors next week.

Reflecting on the team’s performance and places of improvement, the Slovenian admitted that practice sessions are obviously different from the main matchups. “Obviously, practice is different. I think in practice we’re more physical. Like I said, we need to work on our physicality,” Luka said post-game. “Sometimes we’re gonna have a small group out there, sometimes we’re gonna have a bigger group out there. There’s some stuff to clean up, obviously, I think the physicality.”

Simply put, the Lakers have more work to do, especially with LeBron James out with an injury. He also added, “I think we start a little bit slow, not being physical. When we start games being physical, that’s when we were at our best. So we need to be more physical for sure, get in the ball, pick your roles; just be more physical.” 

But it wasn’t all bad for the Lakers as they lost by just 1 point. The Lakers shot 45% FG, but the Kings were too good a match for the night at 55%. Rui Hachimura dropped five of L.A.’s first 12 points, and the squad stacked up 28 assists, proving unselfish play drives rhythm. Yet amid the smooth offense, Luka knows the real task now is cranking up the physicality for the 2025-26 grind ahead.

However, had physicality been the only problem, you’d never find JJ Redick with clear frustration in his voice and on his face. As he enters his second year as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the 41-year-old worries about one thing: defense. Last season, he spent a considerable time building it. And while he watches the defensive gameplay fall into shambles from the sideline, the head coach cannot hide his feelings anymore.

JJ Redick makes his worries heard as Luka Doncic circles out LA’s concerns

Entering the 2025-26 campaign, defense stands as the Lakers’ glaring flaw, and the opening half against Sacramento only deepened that concern. The Sacramento Kings sliced through with ease, exposing gaps that left JJ Redick visibly frustrated when questioned courtside by Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell. His expression said it all: LA’s defense lacked bite, urgency, and identity, forcing their coach to confront hard truths before the season even began.

“Not a lot,” JJ Redick said. When Trudell pressed Redick on how the defense could improve, the coach summed it up in a single word. “Everywhere,” Redick stated without a moment’s hesitation.

The Kings torched the Lakers’ defense, shooting 54.1% in the first half. And finishing at 54.7% overall with 44.8% from three. They piled up 48 points in the paint compared to LA’s 40 and won the boards 40-33, including 35-25 defensively. Even without stars like DeRozan and Sabonis, Sacramento exposed every weakness. Despite 16 forced turnovers, LA’s soft 21-foul showing echoed Luka Doncic’s demand for early fire and stronger physicality. The Lakers have the star power, but the spark is waiting to ignite.

Luka has already called out the missing bite, and Redick’s frustration says the rest. The offense flows, the assists shine, yet the cracks on defense scream louder. With LeBron sidelined and the season opener on the horizon, the message is crystal clear. And that is, talk time is over; it is now about muscle, mindset, and making every possession count.