Overview

• A five-game first-round loss to the Timberwolves laid bare Los Angeles’s need for improved defense at the perimeter and in the paint.
• Three-time champion Danny Green told the All The Smoke podcast that the LeBron-Doncic pairing’s offensive explosion is undermined by defensive gaps and James’s advancing age.
• The front office will target a defensive-minded center and additional perimeter defenders to shore up weaknesses around its new superstar duo.
• JJ Redick’s staff will send a coach to oversee Doncic’s conditioning and recovery program while he competes for Slovenia at the FIBA EuroBasket tournament.
• LeBron James and Luka Doncic reinforced their off-court collaboration by recording an episode of James’s Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash.