trade season

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where things are about to get extra busy.

The Lakers started a stretch of five games in seven days on Monday with a 124-112 loss to the Sacramento Kings. They’ve lost three games in a row and could have a tough time turning the tide during an incredibly difficult schedule this month. This week’s five-game sprint leads directly into an eight-game marathon trip that starts on Jan. 20 in Denver.

The Lakers (23-14) are in danger of letting their slump stretch further as LeBron James could be limited Tuesday against Atlanta. He has not played back-to-back games all year and already played 33 minutes against the Kings, scoring 22 points.

If James is out, the Lakers could at least still welcome someone else back.

Reinforcement on the way

Rui Hachimura was available against the Kings after missing two weeks with a calf injury, but didn’t play. He could be more valuable against the Hawks on Tuesday in the second game of a back-to-back.

Hachimura will begin on a minutes restriction and won’t immediately reprise his starting role. But the struggling Lakers know what they will need from him when he returns.

“He’s our best catch-and-shoot guy,” coach JJ Redick said of Hachimura. “He’s one of the best guys in the league. … This is the balance that we’ve been battling all years: We can play better defenders and our offense isn’t as good. We can play better offensive players and our defense isn’t as good. So we’re continuing to find that balance.”

Hachimura is shooting 43.6% on catch-and-shoot attempts, which ranks 23rd among players with 100 or more such attempts. He started the season on a Michael Jordan-esque shooting streak, but cooled off in recent games. He was four for 14 from three-point range in his last four games before the latest injury. Averaging 12.7 points per game, Hachimura is still shooting a team-best 44.5% from three. He’s the only player shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc on a team that is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league.

But Hachimura has never been known as a stout defender. He’s averaging 3.8 rebounds per game this year, which equals his career-low.

Meanwhile, Jake LaRavia, who has started in Hachimura’s place, has been the Lakers’ most consistent defender all season. He can be a scorer, too. Only last week, we dedicated this newsletter to LaRavia’s back-to-back 20-point games.

But Redick also said that the team won’t count on that from him every night. LaRavia’s job is to be a perimeter anchor on defense and he has delivered in that role.

Redick said he hasn’t made any decisions about the starting lineup going forward as the team gets healthier.

The Lakers were 11th in offensive rating and 24th in defensive rating before Monday’s game. They were getting outscored by 0.7 points per 100 possessions. They’re the only team with a negative net rating with a winning record.

All-Star voting winds down

Luka Doncic is on top of All-Star voting.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

It’s election season in the NBA. All-Star elections, that is.

Lakers star Luka Doncic led the league in fan All-Star voting after two reveals, the league announced last Tuesday. His 2,229,811 votes were more than 137,000 ahead of Eastern Conference leader Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has led the league in All-Star fan voting for the last two seasons.

“Honestly it’s pretty amazing,” Doncic said of the early voting results. “Just, I mean, a kid from Slovenia only can dream about that, can dream about being in the NBA.”

Fan voting ends Wednesday at 8:59 p.m. PST. Doncic is in line to earn his sixth All-Star honor.

It’s already been quite the year for Doncic. After signing a three-year contract extension with the Lakers in August, the 26-year-old superstar is leading the league in scoring with 33.6 points per game. He had a second child. He launched a new signature shoe.

And he’s become the unquestioned leader of the Lakers in his first full season in L.A. Even LeBron James called Doncic “the franchise.”

“One, I think, [Doncic has] established himself as a global superstar. He has for years now,” Redick said. “Certainly speaks to the popularity of the Lakers’ brand and the amount of fans that follow us and cheer for us and live and breathe with every shot in every game like everybody in that locker room does. And I think he’s a fantastic representative of this organization.”

James was eighth in Western Conference voting in the second fan returns and 14th overall. The superstar who led the league in voting for seven consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2023 may see his 21-year All-Star streak end this season.

He has appeared in just 20 games, averaging 22 points, 6.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds while managing sciatica and foot arthritis. James was named a starter last season, but was a late scratch from the event because of foot and ankle injuries. It was the first time James didn’t participate in the NBA’s midseason showcase event since his rookie season.

This could be Austin Reaves’ first All-Star honor but a recent calf injury has hurt his campaign. Reaves was 11th in the West in fan voting after two returns.

Reaves appeared to be a lock for the honor earlier this season. He is averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds a game, all career-highs. He scored 51 points in a game against Sacramento.

The All-Star game will be held at Intuit Dome on Feb. 15 with yet another unorthodox format that hopes to generate some legitimate competition at the exhibition that has seemingly lost its luster in recent years. Voting takes place in traditional East vs. West format to decide the five players from each conference that are named “starters.”

But the group may not actually play together during the game.

The format will instead have two, eight-man teams of U.S. players and one “world” team of international players. They will compete in a round-robin tournament of four, 12-minute games. If the voting doesn’t yield 16 U.S. players and eight international players, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional players to reach the minimum required.

Voting for starters is determined by fan vote (50%), NBA players (25%) and media (25%). After the starters are announced on Monday, NBA coaches decide the seven reserves for each conference.

On tap

Tuesday, vs. Hawks (20-21), 7:30 p.m.

The Hawks have won three consecutive games, including two after trading star Trae Young to Washington on Jan. 9. While Young — who ended up in Atlanta after in a draft-day trade that sent Doncic to Dallas — was the unquestioned headliner in the organization, the Hawks were just 2-8 in games with him this season. They didn’t need Young to beat the Lakers by 20 points in November.

Thursday, vs. Hornets (14-26), 7:30 p.m.

LaMelo Ball has returned since the last time the Lakers faced the Hornets in Charlotte. The former Chino Hills High star is averaging 19.9 points and 7.8 assists per game while Kon Knueppel leads all rookies with 19.1 points per game.

Saturday at Trail Blazers (19-21), 7 p.m.

Deni Avdija (averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists) left Sunday’s loss against the Knicks in the fourth quarter with a back injury. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Trail Blazers, who had won seven of eight. Point guard Jrue Holiday (calf) also returned from a nearly three-month absence.

Sunday, vs. Raptors (24-16), 6:30 p.m.

This is the second game of the Lakers’ second back-to-back in a week. The Lakers have five games in seven days. Brace yourself for some ugly basketball during this stretch.

Status report

Austin Reaves: left calf strain

There’s about two weeks left until Reaves is reevaluated for the calf injury he aggravated on Christmas Day.

Adou Thiero: right MCL sprain

The rookie won’t be reevaluated for at least another two and a half weeks.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Simpang Asia’s festival rice: A platter of turmeric rice, and, clockwise from bottom left: fried wonton sheets, steamed vegetables under peanut dressing, tumeric chicken under shredded egg, fried noodles, potatoes under sambal balado, a red chili sauce with red peppers and tomatoes.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

I’m an indecisive eater. Choosing a dish at a restaurant feels like a very high-stakes decision. So a variety platter always hates to see me coming.

When I don’t want to just settle for one thing, the festival rice (nasi kuning komplit) from Simpang Asia in Palms helps cover all the bases. The Indonesian feast has a little bit of everything. A tower of turmeric rice stands at the center of the plate and is surrounded by potatoes under sambal balado — a red chili sauce with red peppers and tomatoes — fried noodles, turmeric chicken under shredded egg, steamed vegetables under peanut dressing and fried wonton sheets.

We also ordered roti paratha, Bali sea bass, which is grilled in banana leaves, and kwetiau goreng, a wok-fried rice noodle dish with bean sprouts, Chinese greens and eggs. We even uncovered a secret menu item: They don’t list their croquettes — fried potato balls filled with chicken — on the menu but you can still ask for them. You should ask for them.

In case you missed it

Luka Doncic scores 42 points, but poor defense dooms Lakers in loss to Kings

Lakers’ Rui Hachimura getting closer to returning from injury

NBA suspends Kings’ Dennis Schroder for reported confrontation with Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic and LeBron James both falter at finish as Lakers lose to Bucks

Luka Doncic has a triple-double, but LeBron-less Lakers lose to Spurs

Luka and LeBron go 30-30 as Lakers defeat the Pelicans

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re trying to star in our role.

With one of their major stars still sidelined, the Lakers have gotten headlining performances from the usual suspects. LeBron James and Luka Doncic each scored 30 or more points in the same game for just the third time as Lakers teammates against Memphis last Friday. Doncic followed up on Sunday with a near triple-double and James had 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers hold off the Grizzlies for a second consecutive game.

But the most significant performances last week came from the supporting cast.

Don’t forget No. 12

The way Rob Pelinka commemorated Jake LaRavia’s 27-point outburst against Minnesota in October warmed this print journalist’s heart.

After LaRavia made 10 of 11 shots to introduce himself to fans and Minnesota star Anthony Edwards, the Lakers’ general manager splashed a photo of LaRavia gazing out of a window on the front page of a faux newspaper and printed it on a black T-shirt.

The bold headline over the image read: “Who is Number 12?”

Two months after his breakout Lakers moment, LaRavia authored a long-awaited follow-up story. Starting in place of the injured Rui Hachimura, he scored 20 and 26 points in back-to-back games against Memphis.

LaRavia’s scoring punch against his first NBA team was the obvious headline grabber, but it shouldn’t overshadow the 24-year-old’s consistent contribution all season.

“It’s just the way he plays,” James said. “He plays hard, he defends, he rebounds. The scoring can go up, it can go down. But his consistency of how he plays keeps him on the floor.”

LaRavia has been the Lakers’ most consistent defender this season, coach JJ Redick said after Sunday’s game in which LaRavia was a game-high plus-15 in his 34 minutes and 30 seconds on the court. His defensive influence, averaging career-highs in rebounds (4.3), steals (1.3) and blocks (0.5), has exceeded expectations for the Lakers.

Redick knew he wanted to target the rangy 6-foot-7 forward because the Lakers were bottom-third in blocks (22nd, 4.5 per game), steals (22nd, 7.7 per game) and deflections (24th, 15.2) last year. Top wing defender Dorian Finney-Smith signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Houston Rockets.

Now LaRavia and fellow offseason addition Marcus Smart are tied for the team lead in deflections with 3.1 each per game.

LaRavia started his college career at Indiana State before transferring to Wake Forest, where he averaged 14.6 points per game as a junior. He was drafted 19th overall in 2022 and averaged 10.8 points in his second year. Looking back, LaRavia realizes that, at the time, he only wanted to be on the court for his offense. He admitted he wasn’t a very strong defender.

It wasn’t until last year that things “clicked,” LaRavia said. If he wanted to stay in the NBA, he would have to do more than score.

“There’s a lot of offensive talent in this league,” said LaRavia, who was shipped to Sacramento in a midseason trade last year. “I would say there’s not as much people that are willing to go out there every night and just play as hard as they can and provide energy and effort on the defensive side.”

The energy has transferred to offensive production, where LaRavia is thriving on what the Lakers call “effort offense.” He crashes for rebounds. He cuts to the basket. He runs the floor in transition. Those little things easily make up for LaRavia’s 32.7% shooting from three, the lowest percentage of his career.

The three-point shot is starting to click as well; LaRavia made seven of 16 threes in two games against the Grizzlies. He credited his work with assistant coach Beau Levesque for helping him get back to basics with his shot while maintaining confidence and focus.

“He has the words for me every time we come in here and shoot, but it’s more so just the consistent work that we put in,” LaRavia said. “He always says control the input … and the output is going to show for itself. And he also says stuff like, ‘Don’t be reactionary.’ I had a good game, but we don’t react off that. We continue to put in the same kind of work and just continue to play.”

LaRavia knows his front-page moment can be fleeting. Just when it looked as if he had arrived in early November with 20-point performances in two out of three games, LaRavia didn’t reach the mark again until last Friday.

More than two months after he first announced who No. 12 was, LaRavia is still introducing the league to parts of his game. A soaring one-handed dunk against Memphis last Friday got teammates jumping to their feet on the bench. After the game, James described LaRavia as “sneaky athletic.”

When asked about the description, LaRavia smiled.

“I’m a fan of ‘sneaky athletic,’” he said.

Next men up

Lakers guard Nick Smith Jr.

(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)

The Lakers have had all 14 of their standard contract players available for only two games this season. The revolving door of injuries has forced the Lakers to live out the “next man up” mantra.

Next up are Dalton Knecht and Nick Smith Jr., who are seeing more consistent playing time while Austin Reaves (calf) and Gabe Vincent (back) are sidelined.

Smith, who is playing on a two-way contract, delivered with 21 points in the Lakers’ win over the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28, their first game without Reaves. The third-year guard’s instant offense was why the Lakers picked him up on the eve of training camp.

Conversely, Knecht is not being judged solely on whether he makes shots, Redick said. The Lakers simply need the sharp-shooting second-year forward to “play hard.”

“If you make a mistake, just get it on the next position,” Knecht said of what coaches are asking of him, “and just don’t repeat that mistake.”

Knecht flashed his potential in a hot start to his rookie season when he shot 46% from three in November 2024. But Knecht found himself on the trading block months later. He was briefly sent to Charlotte, only to U-turn when the trade was rescinded because of a failed physical.

This season, coaches told Knecht his opportunities on the floor would come down to his defense. He was playing regularly when the Lakers were still without James earlier this season, but he was largely relegated to garbage time after the superstar forward returned.

Jarred Vanderbilt’s standing on the team also changed drastically when James returned. The forward was out of the rotation completely for 10 games after James made his season debut on Nov. 18.

But the Lakers, in need of a defensive reset, turned to Vanderbilt again on Dec. 14. He has played in nine consecutive games, averaging 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds with seven total steals. After his three-point shooting was a major liability on offense, Vanderbilt is shooting 11 for 25 (44%) from three since rejoining the rotation.

Vanderbilt’s resurgence has given Knecht an example to follow as he tries to solidify his standing in the league.

“Me and him had long talks about that,” Knecht said. “Making sure that both of us are ready for the rotation when the guys go down or just throw one of us in.”

On tap

Jan. 6 at Pelicans (8-29), 5 p.m. PST

The Pelicans have lost seven in a row. Zion Williamson (18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds) is back after missing both games against the Lakers earlier this season.

Jan. 7 at Spurs (25-10), 6:30 p.m. PST

After dominating the Lakers to end L.A.’s NBA Cup hopes in December, San Antonio announced itself as a title contender by beating Oklahoma City three consecutive times. Center Victor Wembanyama hyperextended his knee on Dec. 31 and missed two games, but could return in time to play the Lakers on Wednesday.

Jan. 9 vs. Bucks (16-20), 7:30 p.m. PST

Milwaukee has won five of its last seven. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status with the team has been the biggest story line for the underwhelming Bucks, who are 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Status report

Gabe Vincent: lumbar back strain

Vincent is questionable for Tuesday’s game after missing eight games. He participated in a stay-ready game after practice last Saturday in his first on-court action since suffering the back injury.

Rui Hachimura: right calf strain

Hachimura will remain sidelined for at least the upcoming trip. He will stay in L.A. and could work with the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers. Hachimura has been out since Dec. 30.

Austin Reaves: left calf strain

Reaves won’t be reevaluated until at least Jan. 23.

Adou Thiero: right MCL sprain

The rookie forward will be sidelined for four weeks and won’t be reevaluated until the end of January.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Naan pizza with sausage, peppers and caramelized onions.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

Don’t cancel me for this. But sometimes for a home cooking hack, I use Trader Joe’s frozen naan for the crust on a personal pizza. I spent a year or two trying to perfect my own pizza dough technique, and I made good progress, but during a busy season, I don’t have the patience — or foresight — to be fiddling around with any fresh dough for a pizza night.

I topped a piece of garlic naan with homemade tomato sauce, cheese, Italian sausage, red peppers and caramelized onions. Then I finished it with a drizzle of hot honey.

I can only hope I will still be allowed to enter Italy next month for the Winter Olympics despite this culinary transgression. Take this as the only thing I have to declare at customs.

In case you missed it

Why the Lakers locked back in on Deandre Ayton in their comeback win against Grizzlies

Lakers takeaways: Jake LaRavia sets the tone in starting lineup during win over Grizzlies

Lakers takeaways: Pistons dominate paint as Lakers close out a sub-.500 December

Lakers takeaways: Nick Smith Jr. shines in win over Kings with Austin Reaves sidelined

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where we’re recalibrating for 2026.

The Lakers were forced to do some end-of-year soul-searching after a three-game losing streak. A productive meeting helped the team refocus on its vision board. The board featuring the Lakers’ three main resolutions reappeared in the practice gym this week: “championship habits, championship communication, championship shape.”

See, we all promise to hit the gym harder “next year.”

Two-headed monster

LeBron James and Luka Doncic pose for photos during Lakers media day on Sept. 29 in El Segundo.

(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

This is the pairing we’ve all been waiting for. But we haven’t seen Luka Doncic and LeBron James together all that often.

Since Doncic joined the Lakers in that blockbuster trade, he and James have played together without Austin Reaves only six times in the regular season. With Reaves now sidelined for a month with a calf injury, the two Lakers superstars are going to have to get familiar with each other again.

In lineups with Doncic and Reaves, the Lakers have a net rating of 7.3, one of the team’s highest ratings for a two-man lineup that’s played at least 100 minutes. Playing together for 452 minutes, it’s the most efficient rating for any pair of regular starters.

But lineups with Doncic and James have a -10.3 net rating in 279 minutes and the James-Reaves pairing is -6.1 in 245 minutes.

Coach JJ Redick acknowledged after the team’s three-game losing streak that the offense since James returned has felt disorganized at times. While Reaves’ injury strips the Lakers of their second-leading scorer and an important ball handler, Redick agreed that just having Doncic and James for now can make the offense easier to untangle.

Redick presented a potential solution by restructuring the substitution pattern during a win over the Kings on Sunday. He subbed Doncic out of the first quarter with about three minutes remaining instead of having him play the entire first frame. He re-entered the game with about nine minutes left in the second instead of waiting until the six- or seven-minute mark.

The plan was to let Doncic and James have more time operating the offense individually, Redick said, while not diminishing either player’s total minutes. The team still used both of them in actions together and it’s not an overarching plan to “keep them apart,” Redick stressed.

“We’re going to do this for the foreseeable future,” Redick said, “and just see how it goes.”

The Lakers were plus-12 in the 18 minutes with Doncic and James on the court against the Kings compared to -5.8 in 23.7 minutes in previous games this year. The projected starting lineup now that Reaves it out would typically feature Doncic, James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, and that group has a -26.0 net ranking in 37 minutes together this season.

“I don’t want to create the narrative of ‘me and Luka,’” James said. “It’s five guys on the floor and seven guys that come off the bench. It needs to be all of us. It’s important that we set the tone.”

More than just the production on the court, the Lakers will look to their superstars for leadership during this next stretch. Redick acknowledged that Doncic and James have a responsibility to set the tone for the Lakers, especially at the beginning of games.

The Lakers were minus-28 in first quarters during their three-game losing streak. Doncic said after the Christmas Day debacle that everybody had to give “better effort, starting with me.”

Then he backed up his words with his play, scoring nine points with two assists and three rebounds in the first quarter. He had two steals and a block in the first half.

“He’s the head of the snake,” forward Maxi Kleber said of Doncic before the game. “We all follow him, so it’s good for us to see him also step up in that sense, and take ownership, because it will help everybody else do the same and focus especially with that effort on every possession.”

LeBron vs. Father Time (OT)

Lakers forward Lebron James drives in front of Kings guard Demar Derozan (10) as center Maxime Raynaud (42) watches Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)

When James released his LeBron XX sneakers, he battled Father Time in a series of commercials that pitted actor Jason Momoa, dressed in purple robes with gray hair and a long beard, against James in a plank contest, karaoke and ultimately one-on-one basketball.

Three years after James blocked Father Time’s shot in the commerical series’ “final round,” James is still competing against the opponent everyone says is undefeated.

“I’m in a battle with him,” James said Sunday, two days before his 41st birthday. “And I would like to say that I’m kicking his ass on the back nine.”

James then walked out of his postgame interview with a smile on his face after his final game as a 40-year-old.

James, who celebrates his 41st birthday Tuesday, is not the same force that he was in his late 20s or even 30s, but he is still accomplishing feats never seen in the NBA. James is averaging 20.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his record 23rd NBA season. Only five players have ever averaged double-digit scoring during or after their Year 40 season. None averaged better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 14.6 points per game in 1987-88.

How LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar compare in their 40s.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

“Unbelievable,” 21-year-old guard Nick Smith Jr. said of James’ performance at this stage of his career. “Him and my dad [are] the same age, and my dad hasn’t played in like 10 years. So the stuff he do is incredible. Yeah, he’s not normal.”

James knows his clock is ticking. He has recognized multiple times this season that he is cherishing what could be the final moments of his career. He acknowledged great road crowd receptions in Philadelphia and Toronto and spoke wistfully about how he’ll never be able to recapture the feeling of entering a packed arena.

It’s why moments like his three dunks against the Kings that fired up the home crowd Sunday are still meaningful, even if he’s not jumping as high as he once did.

“It is remarkable,” said Redick, who turned 41 in June this year and last played in 2021. “I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning and got to get an injection on my knee. My body is old and broken.”

A day after James rocked the rim with a reverse dunk against the Kings, Redick was happy to report he can “still barely touch the rim.”

On tap

Dec. 30 vs. Pistons (24-8), 7:30 p.m. PST

Detroit is one of the biggest surprises of the NBA season, emerging from a first-round playoff exit last year to now lead the wide-open Eastern Conference. But the Pistons have lost two in a row, including a stunning loss to the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, who dropped 55 points on Sunday.

Jan. 2 vs. Grizzlies (15-17), 7:30 p.m. PST

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant is back from a sprained ankle that cost him four games, but the team is still missing center Zach Edey, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Dec. 11. Memphis is 4-4 without Edey (13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds) after going 7-4 with him. He missed the beginning of the season after surgery on the same left ankle.

Jan. 4 vs. Grizzlies (15-17), 6:30 p.m. PST

This game wraps up a four-game homestand for the Lakers, who have 10 of their 16 games in January on the road.

Status report

Jaxson Hayes: Left ankle soreness

Hayes missed two games after reaggravating an ankle injury against Phoenix on Dec. 23 but is expected to return on Tuesday against Detroit.

Rui Hachimura: Left calf soreness

Hachimura missed practice Monday, but Redick doesn’t expect Hachimura to be out for long as the forward is “just a little banged up.” Hachimura is out for Tuesday’s game against Detroit.

Austin Reaves: left calf strain

Reaves will be out for at least a month. He is not scheduled to be reevaluated until around Jan. 26.

Gabe Vincent: Lumbar back strain

Vincent has missed four games and had no status change after his initial reevaluation date of Dec. 25.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Bun mang, Vietnamese bamboo shoot noodle soup.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen/Los Angeles Times)

I spent Christmas Day with my Lakers beat family at Crypto.com Arena then Boxing Day with my extended family in Orange County. My aunt made bun mang — Vietnamese bamboo shoot noodle soup — for the holiday and saved me a bowl.

It’s more traditionally served with duck, but my aunt prefers chicken. I told her I’d never had this dish before because I don’t think my mom ever made it. She explained that it takes three days of soaking, rinsing and boiling the bamboo shoots, so now I understand why my mom never made it. But it was worth my aunt’s effort.

In case you missed it

Lakers takeaways: Nick Smith Jr. shines in win over Kings with Austin Reaves sidelined

After talking through problems, Lakers find unexpected third scorer to end losing streak

Lakers ‘recalibrate’ after Austin Reaves injury, three-game losing streak

Lakers guard Austin Reaves out for at least a month because of calf injury

‘We don’t have it right now.’ Takeaways from the Lakers’ third straight loss

Lakers lose Austin Reaves, then get called out by JJ Redick after loss to Rockets

‘A million choices’: Lakers’ defense will get a Christmas Day test vs. Rockets

Austin Reaves’ return can’t save Lakers from dismal defensive effort in loss to Suns

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where we’re making our interview lists and checking them twice. I have something to share: I never celebrated Christmas growing up. We didn’t do presents, trees, decorating or any of that.

What we did was basketball.

From spending Christmas Day eating my mom’s home-cooked meals and watching the NBA, I will now be at Crypto.com Arena covering the game my parents will inevitably ask about later. Talk about a special holiday gift.

LeBron James rounds into form

At this stage of LeBron James’ career, it’s not enough to just evaluate the Lakers superstar’s performance in a vacuum. So when coach JJ Redick was asked in Utah before James played his 10th game of the season whether the 21-time All-NBA honoree was “looking more like himself,” Redick didn’t have a straightforward answer.

“Well, I think you have to contextualize it,” Redick told reporters. “[He’s] ‘looking like himself’ as a 41-year-old coming off [a knee injury] and sciatica.”

Redick is premature in calling James a 41-year-old — his birthday is not until next week — but James is at least back to a version of himself. About a month since his season debut, James is starting to round into form, moving past the informal training camp and preseason period after sciatica kept him out all offseason.

James is averaging 27.6 points, 6.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds in the last five games during which the Lakers (19-8) went 3-2. His shooting percentage improved to 53.8% compared to 41.3% in his first six games.

But James is in a new era of his play. His usage rate is the lowest it’s ever been. Redick commended the superstar’s willingness to play off the ball more with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves emerging as the team’s primary ballhandling options.

There are moments when James’ age is showing. A second jump that isn’t as quick as it once was. A dunk that looks more deliberate than explosive. Then he turns back the clock by bulldozing Luke Kornet on a vicious one-handed dunk. James, always one of the league’s best in transition, still leads the Lakers with 6.4 transition points per game.

Lakers star LeBron James dunks over San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet at Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 10.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“The thing about LeBron — it’s why he’s so great — is he can play with anybody,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “So it doesn’t matter who’s on the floor, but he’s always going to be effective.”

James showed he can still carry the team for stretches when Doncic suffered a left leg bruise during the first half against the Clippers, and the shorthanded Lakers, who entered the game without three starters, still chopped the Clippers’ 22-point lead to seven in the fourth quarter.

Doncic (leg) will remain out for Tuesday’s game against Phoenix, along with Rui Hachimura (groin) and Gabe Vincent (back). Reaves (calf) is questionable as his absence has surpassed one week.

The Lakers have been short at least one player for almost every game this season, Deandre Ayton pointed out Monday after practice as he prepared to return from a two-game absence because of an elbow injury. The injuries, highlighted by James’ 14-game absence, has made Redick feel like this team’s primary identity at the quarter mark of the season is “chaos.”

Yet leadership from players such as James has helped the Lakers find calm amid the confusion.

“This is not a quiet team,” Ayton said. “… We communicate. That’s what brings closure, where you know the guy might not be out there, or superstars might not be out there, but they with us in spirit.”

James was a vocal leader even while injured. When he returned to the court, his energy was infectious in practice, Reaves said, who often marvels at how James, despite playing in a record 23rd NBA season, still feels like one of the biggest kids in the gym.

So a month after his return, when asked in Utah about how James looked in the context of his age and recent injury history, Redick didn’t hesitate to follow up.

“Pretty damn good,” Redick said.

Holiday spirit

Lakers star LeBron James stands on the court during player introductions before a game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 18.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

While the NFL tried to use Beyoncé to take over Christmas last year, the games were all laughers. The NBA, meanwhile, planted its flag with a thrilling slate that had four of five games decided by six or fewer points.

“I love the NFL,” James said into the ABC camera last year after the Lakers won a 115-113 nail-biter over the Golden State Warriors. “But Christmas is our day.”

The Lakers are playing on Christmas for the 27th season in a row. James is slated for his 20th Christmas Day game, but even he’s grown tired of his personal tradition.

“I’d much rather be at home with my family,” James said. “But it’s the game. It’s the game I love. It’s the game I watched when I was a kid on Christmas Day, watching a lot of the greatest to play the game on Christmas. It’s always been an honor to play it. Obviously, I’m going to be completely honest, I would like to be home on the couch with my family all throughout the day. But my number is called, our numbers are called, so we have to go out and perform. And I look forward to it.”

The Lakers are 25-26 on Christmas Day. This year’s lineup is delicious. The Lakers at home against Houston — the only team in the league besides Oklahoma City ranked in the top five in offensive and defensive rating — is the prime-time entree. The 11:30 a.m. PST appetizer between San Antonio and Oklahoma City could be the star of the night.

Outside of James’ slightly Grinchy mood about playing, the Lakers were getting into the holiday spirit last week. Doncic gifted e-bikes to everyone in the organization, 103 in total. Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes held charity events. Vanderbilt and his foundation held a holiday giveback at the Boys & Girls Club last Friday while Hayes had giveaways in Compton and his native Cincinnati.

“Stuff like that just fills my heart up and makes me feel better,” Hayes said. “… Stuff like that, I just feel like it’s why God put us here, we’re here to help others.”

On tap

Records and stats current entering Monday’s games

Dec. 23 at Suns (15-13), 6 p.m. PST

Nine days after the Lakers barely survived a dramatic fourth-quarter Phoenix comeback attempt, the Lakers and Suns run it back. In the midst of a challenging portion of their schedule that featured games against Western Conference front-runners Oklahoma City, Denver and Houston, the Suns have lost seven of their last nine games, including three of their last four.

Dec. 25 vs. Rockets (17-9), 5 p.m.

Entering Monday’s game against the Clippers, the Rockets lost three of their last four games. All the losses — to Denver, New Orleans and Sacramento — came in overtime. Kevin Durant is averaging 25.3 points while center Alperen Sengun is putting together a career year with 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists.

Dec. 28 vs. Kings (7-22), 6:30 p.m.

The Kings scored an improbable victory over the Rockets to break a six-game losing streak but remain in the Western Conference cellar. The Lakers needed a career-high 51 points from Austin Reaves to survive against the Kings on Oct. 26 without Doncic or James.

Status report

Lakers star Luka Doncic controls the ball during a loss to the Clippers on Dec. 20. Doncic sustained a left leg contusion in the game.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Luka Doncic: left leg contusion

Doncic suffered the injury when he was kneed in the leg by the Clippers’ Bogdan Bogdanovic. He sat out of the second half and was seen on the practice court Monday with a wrap around his left calf. He is out for Phoenix, but is day to day.

Austin Reaves: left calf strain

Reaves was a partial participant in practice Monday and remained day to day. He passed the initial estimated one-week mark since being diagnosed with a mild left calf strain on Dec. 12.

Deandre Ayton: right elbow soreness

The center appeared to suffer the injury when he got tangled up with Phoenix’s Mark Williams on Dec. 14 and missed two games but will return against the Suns on Tuesday.

Rui Hachimura: right groin soreness

Redick said Hachimura started feeling pain in his hip after the game at Utah on Dec. 18. The coach expects Hachimura to be sidelined for three to five days, which leaves a Christmas Day return possible.

Gabe Vincent: low back soreness

Vincent will not be reevaluated until at least Christmas after a back issue first popped up before the game at Utah.

Favorite thing I ate this week

A meal worth savoring at Santa Monica’s Elephante: (clockwise from top) the pizza bianco, vodka sauce pasta and squash agnolotti.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

I finally crossed an essential L.A. dining experience off of my list this week. I visited Elephante in Santa Monica and very much understand the appeal.

Everyone talks about the whipped eggplant, which we got, but the vodka sauce pasta was my favorite because the pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce had a slight smoky kick from the Calabrian chile. We also ordered the pizzo bianco, which is finished with a drizzle of hot honey and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. An order of the squash agnolotti pasta that features sage, brown butter and walnut pesto completed the spread.

In case you missed it

Lakers want Luka Doncic, LeBron James to engage more on defense

Luka Doncic gifts more than 100 e-bikes to Lakers players, staff

Lakers eventually respond to JJ Redick’s call for change, rally to beat Jazz

Natalia Bryant gets new restraining order against alleged stalker with added protection for family

Blake Griffin, Candace Parker among Basketball Hall of Fame nominees

Lakers’ Marcus Smart fined $35,000 for making obscene gesture at official

Lakers lose Luka Doncic to injury, then fall to Clippers despite LeBron James’ 36 points

Lakers ask officials for consistency as technical fouls pile up in loss to Clippers

Lakers’ Deandre Ayton expected back Tuesday, Austin Reaves injury status upgraded

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

Welcome back to the Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re all about finding beauty in the struggle that is a basketball season. In a game with 68 free throws, five technical fouls and one potential dagger three-pointer marred by an ejection, there was definitely a lot of struggle.

The thought still made JJ Redick smile.

“It’s about growth,” Redick said after the Lakers survived a slugfest against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. “It’s not about perfection.”

Progress over perfection

The Lakers (18-7) are far from perfect. They got blitzed by the San Antonio Spurs last week and gave up a 20-point lead in seven minutes in an ugly game against Phoenix. But there is still promise.

“Consistently, when they have been challenged on a very specific thing, they have responded to those challenges,” Redick said of his players.

The latest challenge was shaping up on defense. The Lakers confronted their deficiencies in a meeting last week during which coaches presented film of the team’s mistakes and stats showing how far the Lakers had fallen. From giving up 113.7 points per possession during their first 14 games, the Lakers allowed 120.9 during the next 10 games.

Redick specifically asked his players for consistency and urgency on defense. For example, instead of being up to touch half of the time, he needed the bigs to be at the level of the screen every time. While allowing teams to shoot 41.3% on corner threes (the second-worst for any team on such shots), Redick noticed a mixture of improper pick-and-roll coverage, bad transition defense or lack of on-ball containment. He asked for simply more consistent execution of what the team had shown it could do.

Some defensive inconsistencies were forgiven during the seven-game winning streak against teams that have a combined .465 record as of Dec. 15. But a 3-3 record during a six-game stretch against .500 teams proved the Lakers can’t hide anymore.

Center Deandre Ayton called it “embarrassing” to see what other teams thought of their defense.

“JJ really got on us and basically showed us, ‘Y’all showing y’all ass right now,’” Ayton said. “‘And it’s time to tighten up a little bit.’”

Playing against a sometimes undersized Suns team Sunday, the Lakers answered by dominating the boards. Ayton grabbed 13 rebounds. The Lakers were without Austin Reaves because of a mild calf strain but leaned on Marcus Smart in the starting lineup for defense and toughness.

Smart missed the previous game against Phoenix with an injury when the Suns got hot during the first half and the Lakers simply had no answer for their opponents’ energy. When the Suns’ Royce O’Neale hit four of his first five three-point attempts and former Laker guard Jordan Goodwin forced turnover after turnover, the Lakers could have folded again.

Instead, they clapped back.

“Nothing’s ever gonna be perfect, especially in this league,” said Smart, who leads the Lakers in per-game plus-minus. “… We know the saying, ‘Pressure busts pipes and makes diamonds.’ We’re gonna see what you’re made of. And that’s the beauty about these games when it comes down to that: finding out who you are individually and as a team.”

Return of the Vandolorian

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt waits for a rebound.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

He spent a month on the bench. Then Jarred Vanderbilt needed only 17 seconds to reintroduce himself.

Immediately after entering Sunday’s game to begin the second quarter, the 6-foot-8 forward snagged an offensive rebound and scored on a putback. Vanderbilt had been waiting for that kind of opportunity.

“I haven’t played in a month, so naturally it was built up,” said Vanderbilt, who scored seven points with seven rebounds in 15 minutes against Phoenix after playing only three minutes in the Lakers’ previous 10 games. “But I feel like I bring that every game I play regardless.”

Vanderbilt was the Lakers’ long-awaited X-factor in their nail-biting win over Phoenix, providing the exact defensive and energetic lift the team had needed during its recent slump. As the defense started slipping during the last 10 games, Redick emphasized that everyone needed to get back on defense and be disruptive within the system. Lamenting that his team struggled to do the little things that affected winning such as crashing the boards and forcing turnovers, Redick found the quick answer in Vanderbilt.

“He starred in his role tonight,” Redick said. “He was awesome.”

With Vanderbilt setting the tone for the energetic bench unit, including Gabe Vincent, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers had a season-high 54 rebounds against the Suns. They forced 20 turnovers.

Vanderbilt fell out of the rotation as soon as LeBron James returned from his 14-game sciatica absence. Although Vanderbilt, who was struggling with injuries in recent years, reinforced his potential as a strong defender during an impressive preseason, he was still sidelined because of his offensive limitations. Because teams don’t respect his shooting, it can create spacing issues for Luka Doncic or James.

He made up for it Sunday by relentlessly crashing the glass. Six of his seven rebounds were offensive.

Even before putting Vanderbilt back in the rotation, Redick praised the 26-year-old’s professionalism and work ethic during a difficult situation.

Smart noticed the same thing. That’s why when the guard saw Vanderbilt running behind him in transition in the fourth quarter against the Suns, Smart attempted to flip him the ball blindly over his head to help Vanderbilt get what could have been a highlight dunk.

It was a disaster. It sparked the Suns’ 20-point fourth-quarter comeback. Smart recognized that it nearly cost the Lakers the game. But Smart did connect with Vanderbilt on another big shot.

Smart assisted on Vanderbilt’s three-pointer with 6:41 remaining. It was Vanderbilt’s first made three since Nov. 14.

On tap

Records and stats updated entering Monday’s games

Thursday at Jazz (9-15), 6 p.m. PST

This game is a respite from the stretch against winning teams, but the Lakers shouldn’t overlook the Jazz. Guard Keyonte George has averaged 30.1 points in his two games against the Lakers this season.

Saturday at Clippers (6-19), 7:30 p.m.

Somehow things have gotten worse for the Clippers since the last time they played the Lakers. After losing 135-118 at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 25, the Clippers lost five of their next six. They unceremoniously waived Chris Paul in the middle of the night. James Harden, one of the season’s only bright spots, landed on the injury report with a calf strain before Monday’s game in Memphis.

Status report

Austin Reaves: calf

The Lakers announced last Friday that the guard will be out for approximately one week with a mild left calf strain.

Maxi Kleber: back

The forward has missed two games with a lumbar muscle strain but remains day to day. Redick said Kleber felt the injury during practice on Dec. 9 and missed half of the session.

Favorite thing I ate this week

The Pilgrim from Cornish Pasty Co. in downtown Phoenix. The handpie is filled with roasted turkey, onions, sweet potatoes and house-made stuffing.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

I hung Christmas decorations in my house this week but I’m still not over Thanksgiving. So looking for any opportunity to eat more stuffing, I stopped by Cornish Pasty Co. in downtown Phoenix. The “Pilgrim” handpie was filled with roasted turkey, onions, sweet potatoes and made-in-house stuffing (my favorite Thanksgiving side) with a side of cranberry sauce. The pastry was perfectly flaky while not being so soft that everything fell apart. Sign me up for any version of a portable Thanksgiving meal.

In case you missed it

Lakers blow 20-point lead but survive when Dillon Brooks and Suns go supernova

Jarred Vanderbilt hoping for an opportunity to help Lakers on defense

Lakers’ Austin Reaves to miss at least a week because of calf strain

Lakers look to sharpen defensive focus for Suns; Austin Reaves sidelined by injury

Hernández: Austin Reaves’ quiet 15-point game magnifies Lakers’ bigger defensive struggles

Lakers takeaways: Marcus Smart a bright spot as Lakers eliminated from NBA Cup

LeBron James is just focused on the now as Lakers fall to Spurs in the NBA Cup

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!