The Los Angeles Lakers have built a roster with depth, talent, star power, and an innovative head coach who has something to prove. Having already won 50 games in 2024-25, there’s ample reason to believe the Lakers can build upon their success in 2025-26.

If the past three NBA champions have proven anything, however, it’s that Los Angeles will have a self-imposed ceiling until extension-eligible rising star Austin Reaves improves defensively.

Reaves has made remarkable progress in just four seasons, evolving from an undrafted free agent fighting to secure a roster spot into a borderline All-Star. In 2024-25, he averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.7 three-point field goals made on .460/.377/.877 shooting.

Reaves was one of eight qualified players to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.5 three-point field goals made. The others: Stephen Curry, Darius Garland, James Harden, Tyler Herro, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, and Trae Young.

That All-Star company epitomizes the appeal of what Reaves brings to the table—and why the Lakers are likely to re-sign or extend him. It’s hard to blame them, as the 27-year-old managed this production while playing alongside the likes of Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, and LeBron James.

Unfortunately, the past three NBA champions have proven an unavoidable point: Teams can’t win a title if their shooting guards are unreliable on defense.

Past three NBA champions all had high-level defenders at shooting guard

The 2024-25 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder complemented MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a trio of tremendous defenders at the 2-spot: Alex Caruso, Luguentz Dort, and Jalen Williams. Los Angeles may not be able to create that type of depth overnight, but it’s a standard-setting truth—one which Williams best epitomizes.

Williams is in a remarkably similar position to Reaves, as he’s tasked with scoring and facilitating at star-caliber levels alongside a high-volume superstar—and yet, he must still defend proficiently.

It’s not just Williams and the Thunder who have provided the blueprint for championship glory. In 2023-24, the Boston Celtics won a title with a three-headed defensive monster of their own at the loosely defined position of shooting guard in Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White.

Much like Williams, Brown was responsible for scoring upward of 20 points per game, creating for others, defending at a high level, and complementing an elite No. 1 scoring option in Jayson Tatum.

The Denver Nuggets were a more extreme example of this truth, with former Lakers standout Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Christian Braun occupying the 2-spot. Both were tasked with defending alongside a high-volume scoring guard in Jamal Murray, as well as the offensive-minded Nikola Jokic. Even Murray, known more for his offense, stepped up defensively to complement Jokic.

In no way are Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, and Tatum carbon copies of one another, but they’re all arguable top-five players who command a heavy share of touches and benefit from defensive support.

Reaves doesn’t need to produce All-Defense selections, but if he can’t at least match the level Murray reached on defense, the Lakers will struggle to win a title. The bare minimum is erasing his reputation as a player who opposing scorers can isolate, with the rest ideally growing from there.

In the meantime, it will be difficult for the Lakers to justify handing Reaves a lucrative contract extension if he can’t match the defensive quality of the supporting guards who have won championships over the past three seasons.

Whether fair or foul, the standard has been set and he must find a way to live up to it if the Lakers are going to help Doncic win an elusive championship.