Heading into this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers had a shortage of excellent defensive players at the guard spot.

Guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — Los Angeles’ starting backcourt — don’t bring much to the table defensively, as both players are at their most effective on the offensive end.

Going down the depth chart, neither Gabe Vincent nor Jordan Goodwin stands out as an All-Defensive team talent, even if they are better defensively than Los Angeles’ starters.

However, the Lakers are slated to sign a defensive ace at the guard spot, someone who is accustomed to taking on the challenge of guarding the other team’s best player.

It was recently reported that guard Marcus Smart came to an agreement on a buyout with the Washington Wizards, and he intends to sign a two-year deal with the Lakers after clearing waivers.

Smart, 31, has a highly impressive defensive resume and gives the Lakers the point-of-attack defender they sorely needed. Here are three ways Smart improves the team’s chances of capturing the 2026 NBA title.

1. Elite defender who can play alongside Doncic and Reaves

Masking the defensive weaknesses of Doncic and Reaves should be near the top of the Lakers’ agenda heading into the coming season.

If teams are hunting Doncic and Reaves time and time again in the playoffs, it’s hard to believe Los Angeles will be able to achieve its ultimate goal and win a title next year.

But the addition of Smart now gives the Lakers someone who can play alongside Reaves and Doncic on the floor and cover some of their defensive mistakes.

Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year and has earned a spot on one of the All-Defensive squads several times throughout his career.

Los Angeles should potentially consider placing Smart in the starting lineup to begin the coming season and going small, as one can argue there’s a lot of positional overlap with forward Rui Hachimura in the opening lineup alongside forward LeBron James.

Smart has the bulk and strength to defend forwards, even though he’s undersized for the position and stands at just 6-foot-3. That defensive versatility could come up big for the Lakers in the playoffs.

2. Smart can space the floor and be a secondary playmaker on offense

Smart is a defensive menace first and foremost, and his impact on that end is a huge part of what makes him a notable addition for the Lakers ahead of their pursuit of the 2026 title. However, Smart isn’t a one-trick pony, and he’s arguably an underrated offensive player.

Along with his stingy defense, Smart brings playmaking and 3-point shooting chops to the table on the other end of the floor, skills that are highly important to winning in the NBA.

Starting with his 3-point shooting, Smart put together one of the more efficient stints shooting the ball from deep of his career with the Wizards last season. He was dealt to Washington prior to last season’s trade deadline.

Across 15 games played with the Wizards (which is certainly a small sample size) he shot 39.2 percent from deep on decent volume, as he attempted 3.4 3-pointers per contest.

If he can keep up or at least come close to that accuracy and volume in a Lakers uniform, he will be a valuable floor spacer for the storied franchise.

Smart’s best offensive skill might be his knack for creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. He’s averaged 4.6 assists per game for his career and has the vision and playmaking feel to run the team’s offense in spurts.

In his final three seasons with the Boston Celtics, Smart averaged 5.7, 5.9 and 6.3 assists per game.

3. Adds more veteran leadership and playoff experience

Smart spent the end of last season in a Wizards uniform and did not play in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, but that shouldn’t trick people into thinking he’s not a winning player.

Smart brings valuable veteran leadership to the fold, and he knows what it takes to be a great team at the NBA level. Earlier on in his pro career, Smart was the heart and soul of plenty of Celtics teams that made deep playoff runs.

He played in a whopping five Eastern Conference Finals as well as one NBA Finals in his stint with the Celtics.

Smart’s Celtics lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals, meaning he has yet to win the ultimate prize, but all of that playoff experience is invaluable nonetheless.

The former Oklahoma State University star is hoping that all of the ups and downs he’s experienced in the playoffs over the years will have him ready for a championship run in 2026.