Why the Lakers’ big gamble still feels unfinished: 2025 unraveled in LA

The Los Angeles Lakers played their final game of 2025 in a year that invited reflection on many fronts, not all of them positive. On February 1 they landed Luka Dončić in an absolutely historic move – the trade of all trades, one that made the NBA’s foundations tremble. Once again, the franchise found itself on the right side of history, the place it has traditionally occupied. From that moment on, everything changed: Anthony Davis’s era ended when he headed to Dallas to slip into anonymity with the Mavericks, and the Lakers became the center of the basketball universe once more, shifting from conditional contenders to near favorites if the Slovenian’s level held.

A small “gift” from Texas – specifically from Nico Harrison – made it all possible again in the City of Angels.

But things did not unfold as they should, and not everything that glitters is gold.

The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Timberwolves (4–1) despite finishing second in the Western Conference. Summer brought a contract extension for Dončić while LeBron James faded into a murkier background. As the season unfolded, the Lakers approached 2026 among the West’s upper tier. Still, the King had just turned 41, and the roster, though talented, showed glaring flaws: no solid interior presence, poor defense, and an offense lacking depth and rotation. Wins come because the talent is immense, but the obstacles are too many for a team that, in theory, wants to chase a championship ring – something that feels very far away right now.

• At 41, history is trying to keep up with LeBron
• LeBron’s oddly annual scoring record many have missed

Against that backdrop, the Lakers hosted the Pistons – runaway leaders of the Eastern Conference – hoping to close the year as it deserved: with a win over a serious opponent at Crypto Arena, before a crowd that mirrors the team and never comes to rescue it. Detroit arrived having enjoyed a far calmer year than their hosts: sixth place and a playoff berth last season, followed by another gear shift as they set their sights, as in the past, on ruling the East. Buoyed by irreverent optimism within a superb roster, they paid tribute to the Bad Boys era that won titles in 1989 and 1990, and to the sweet overtime triumph that delivered another championship in 2004 – against the Lakers. A special rivalry had been forged between these teams. But this is a different moment in history, and the battle in Los Angeles promised intrigue.

In the end, the Pistons overwhelmed the Lakers (106–128), pulling away with a spectacular fourth quarter (18–32) that buried any hope for the home side, despite genuine effort. Cade Cunningham’s 27 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists led Detroit, who opened daylight on the Knicks and tightened their grip atop the East. The Lakers, meanwhile, confirmed just how far they are from any hypothetical ring and how much work remains to compete with opponents of this caliber. LeBron finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 6-for-17 shooting, 3-for-10 from three, and five turnovers. Dončić was better with 30 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists, but shot 9-for-22 overall and 3-for-11 from deep. Between them, they went 6-for-21 from long range – a genuine disaster, and above all, a performance unworthy of a supposed contender.

A hecatomb that pushes them away from everything. And a 2025 with some light, but far too many shadows.

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Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

23 LeBron James
12 Jake LaRavia
5 Deandre Ayton
77 Luka Dončić
36 Marcus Smart
11 Jaxson Hayes
9 Bronny James Jr.
14 Maxi Kleber
4 Dalton Knecht
3 Nick Smith Jr.
1 Adou Thiero
2 Jarred Vanderbilt
30 Chris Mañon
17 Drew Timme

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
23 LeBron James	31	17	4	0	4	4	5	1	1	2/5	3/7	3/10	0	1	0
12 Jake LaRavia	38	9	4	2	2	1	2	4	1	2/2	2/4	1/5	0	3	0
5 Deandre Ayton	25	10	2	0	2	0	1	1	0	0/0	5/8	0/0	0	5	0
77 Luka Dončić	35	30	5	2	3	11	8	0	0	9/13	6/11	3/11	0	3	0
36 Marcus Smart	24	6	2	0	2	5	1	3	0	4/4	1/1	0/3	0	4	0
11 Jaxson Hayes	18	13	2	2	0	2	0	1	0	3/5	5/5	0/0	0	1	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	0	0
14 Maxi Kleber	8	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/2	0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	4	10	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	2/2	2/2	0	1	0
3 Nick Smith Jr.	17	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1/2	1/3	0/3	0	1	0
1 Adou Thiero	4	0	3	0	3	1	0	0	1	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	1	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	27	8	8	4	4	1	1	0	0	0/0	1/1	2/2	0	4	0
30 Chris Mañon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
17 Drew Timme	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Detroit Pistons

Stats

12 Tobias Harris
9 Ausar Thompson
0 Jalen Duren
2 Cade Cunningham
55 Duncan Robinson
31 Javonte Green
5 Ron Holland II
23 Jaden Ivey
24 Daniss Jenkins
20 Chaz Lanier
7 Paul Reed
25 Marcus Sasser
28 Isaiah Stewart

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
12 Tobias Harris	5	7	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2/2	1/1	1/1	0	0	0
9 Ausar Thompson	21	7	2	2	0	3	0	1	1	1/4	3/6	0/0	0	4	0
0 Jalen Duren	27	14	8	1	7	2	5	5	0	2/4	6/8	0/0	0	4	0
2 Cade Cunningham	32	27	5	0	5	11	5	1	0	2/2	11/15	1/4	0	3	0
55 Duncan Robinson	27	6	2	0	2	4	0	0	0	1/2	1/1	1/4	0	1	0
31 Javonte Green	31	8	4	1	3	2	0	0	2	1/2	2/3	1/4	0	2	0
5 Ron Holland II	19	11	7	1	6	0	2	1	0	2/3	3/4	1/3	0	4	0
23 Jaden Ivey	17	9	2	1	1	2	1	1	0	0/0	3/4	1/1	0	0	0
24 Daniss Jenkins	4	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
20 Chaz Lanier	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2/2	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
7 Paul Reed	8	3	2	0	2	0	1	1	0	1/1	1/3	0/0	0	2	0
25 Marcus Sasser	24	19	2	0	2	5	1	2	0	5/5	1/2	4/6	0	2	0
28 Isaiah Stewart	17	15	2	0	2	0	1	0	1	2/2	5/5	1/1	0	4	0