The Los Angeles Lakers may have landed one of the biggest stars in basketball, but that blockbuster move has not silenced criticism around the roster construction. Despite acquiring Luka Doncic and handing him the keys to the franchise, questions are growing about whether the team built by Rob Pelinka is actually capable of contending for a championship.
Doncic is once again among the NBA’s scoring leaders, yet the Lakers remain inconsistent against elite competition. That disconnect sparked a blunt assessment from Yahoo Sports analyst Caroline Fenton, who didn’t mince words following a recent loss that exposed the team’s defensive flaws.
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“I do think the Lakers are a fraudulent basketball team,” Fenton said on Yahoo Sports Daily. “When you come into the season with championship-caliber expectations, you don’t make a move to trade for Luka Doncic if you’re not trying to capitalize on a championship window.”
Why the Lakers’ results don’t match the hype
On the surface, Los Angeles appears to be holding its own in the Western Conference standings. Dig deeper, though, and the numbers tell a different story. According to advanced metrics, the Lakers are the only team among the top six seeds in either conference with a negative net rating, a red flag for any group with title aspirations.
Against teams above .500, the results have been underwhelming. The Lakers have struggled to string together wins versus playoff-caliber opponents, and defensive lapses have become a recurring issue. In a recent matchup, they surrendered 66 points in the paint – a glaring sign of poor interior resistance.
“I don’t think this team is a championship team,” Fenton doubled down. “If they can’t play better defense and if they can’t consistently beat other playoff-caliber teams, then yes, they are fraudulent.”
The criticism isn’t aimed at Doncic’s production, but rather at the supporting cast around him. While his offensive brilliance keeps Los Angeles competitive on most nights, basketball history shows that one superstar alone rarely delivers a title.
Are the Lakers out of options to fix the roster?
That reality leaves Pelinka and the front office facing an uncomfortable truth: meaningful upgrades may be difficult to pull off midseason. The Lakers lack a reliable rim protector, and perimeter defense remains shaky, especially with key rotation players offering limited resistance at the point of attack.
The front office explored solutions earlier, but failed trade talks and limited assets have narrowed the path forward. Acquiring a defensive specialist or interior anchor would require sacrificing pieces the organization is reluctant to move, making improvement far from guaranteed.
For now, the burden falls on effort, scheme, and accountability. Head coach JJ Redick’s emphasis on discipline and two-way play could help close the gap, but without roster balance, expectations may need to be reset.
As the season unfolds, the Lakers sit at a crossroads: either prove critics wrong with improved defense and consistency, or accept that star power alone isn’t enough to justify championship-leve
