Most people can agree that the 2024-25 NBA season has been a good one for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Their record and positioning has improved from last season.

They secured a new superstar to lead them into the future. LeBron James stills looks the part of an elite player. Things are pretty good in Los Angeles.

However, that does not mean they are perfect.

The Lakers have certainly had their fair share of surprises in 2024-25. Most of those have been positive. Despite their strong 32-20 record at the All-Star break, there have been a handful of shortcomings this season as well.

While it is always better to bring a positive mindset into most situations, it can also be equally valuable to evaluate the negatives and learn from those as well.

D’Angelo Russell’s second stint in Los Angeles ends like the first

The 2024-25 NBA season proved there was simply no future for D’Angelo Russell with the Lakers. As a result, his time in Los Angeles was once again put to an end with a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

Russell struggled to begin the season.

The former Lakers guard averaged 12.0 points and 5.8 assists, while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from 3-point land during his first eight games of the season.

It resulted in him losing his starting spot and being demoted to the Lakers’ bench, before the team decided to cut ties with him altogether.

The Lakers probably left pretty vindicated in their decision when they heard Russell talking about playing ‘free basketball’ again in Brooklyn.

At least Rob Pelinka and company managed to get Dorian Finney-Smith out of this whole ordeal.

Lakers’ interior defense struggles in the first half

Everyone knows the Lakers have a big man problem. Everyone knows they will need to desperately add a center this upcoming offseason.

However, it is worth discussing what that has meant for this team.

It is important to note that a lot of these numbers come from a time when Anthony Davis was still on the team. Even with that talented anchor down low, the Lakers defense has been pretty bad on the interior.

The good news is that, overall, the Lakers defense has improved recently. Their defensive rating (113.9) has climbed to 17th in the NBA.

However, their interior numbers continue to be discouraging. Los Angeles ranks 23rd in the league when it comes to points allowed in the paint (50.4), according to NBA.com.

Likewise, the Lakers have struggled in defending against second chance points. They are tied with the Toronto Raptors for 21st in the league, surrendering 14.7 per game.

This is not a problem that will be solved this season, in all likelihood. It will just be a matter of whether the superstar efforts of James and Luka Doncic can overcome that obvious issue with the roster once the NBA Playoffs start.

Christian Koloko fails to make a huge impact

One of the reasons the Lakers have struggled so much with their center depth is their laundry list of failed signings made in the efforts of addressing the positional need. Christian Koloko is another unfortunate example of that.

In all fairness, Koloko was returning to the NBA after missing a whole season due to a blood cot issue.

However, the former Raptors center had shown some encouraging moments during his time in Toronto. It just has not come together for him in Los Angeles.

Koloko has averaged only 8.5 minutes during his 29 apperances for the Lakers in 2024-25.

His minimal impact of 2.2 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game has been largely forgettable.

There was a lot of optimism about the former Arizona product reviving his young career in Los Angeles. At this point, that just has not been the case.