Feb 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with forward LeBron James (23) after making a basket during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

ESPN Star States Which Players Los Angeles Lakers Miss

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Farbod Esnaashari | Last updated Mar 11, 2025 6:02 AM ET

While the Los Angeles Lakers have become a dominant team after trading for Luka Doncic, they're still a team with flaws.

On Saturday night, those flaws were exposed as the Lakers faced off against the Boston Celtics. The team arguably misses a degree of length, defense, and speed now that they've traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie.

According to former New Orleans Pelicans center Kendrick Perkins, those two players are exactly what the Lakers were missing.

Via @KendrickPerkins: "This is where Lakers miss AD and Max. Speed and Length, Very underrated."

Kendrick Perkins' X account

There's no such thing as the perfect team in the NBA, however, the Los Angeles Lakers were absolutely dominant prior to their game against the Boston Celtics. The team had won eight straight and looked near unstoppable.

It's okay for teams to have flaws. Part of winning an NBA championship is winning despite having flaws and figuring out ways to overcome a matchup. The Boston Celtics have fantastic defense and shooting, but sometimes the team can get too jump-shot dependent. It's about what the Lakers can do to exploit that weakness, as opposed to focusing on what the Lakers don't have.

The regular season series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics is now tied at 1-1. The next time these two teams can meet this season would be in the NBA Finals.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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