Amid many teams standing pat in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers made genuine efforts to improve. Minnesota traded for LaMelo Ball while LA added nine players following the departure of LeBron James, headlined by a sign-and-trade for center Walker Kessler.
While both teams got better and solved key problems, the Timberwolves still have an advantage when they matchup with the Lakers, due to LA's lack of on-ball defenders. In the 2025 playoffs, the Lakers had no consistent answer for Anthony Edwards, who averaged 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists en route to a five-game series win. Julius Randle also feasted in this series, averaging 22.6 points.
Minnesota relentlessly attacked Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on defense, and the Lakers didn't have the supporting talent to offset this strategy.
The Lakers improved their roster this summer, but they still lack on-ball defenders. They are counting on an offensively limited Mattise Thybulle, an offensively-slanted Quentin Grimes, and a rookie Cameron Carr to solve this void. I suppose that Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia can help out against opposing forwards. And they lost their true defensive stopper in Marcus Smart. Good luck guarding Ant and LaMelo.
Both the Wolves and Lakers were in the clump of teams fighting for three through six seeds last season, and this projects to be the case again. As such, it's worth considering how the Wolves match up with the Lakers, and we could see a playoff rematch come next April.
The Lakers' lack of on-ball defenders is an exploitable flaw
Ball's arrival in Minnesota puts more pressure on opposing defenses, and teams like the Lakers, which lack on-ball defense, will be borderline helpless. The Lakers will also have trouble competing with the Wolves' breakneck pace and general athleticism.
Another factor that's worth considering is that the Timberwolves are well-positioned to contain Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Jaden McDaniels is an elite on-ball defender, while Ayo Dosunmu and Edwards are solid at the very least. LaMelo's offensive presence should allow Edwards to fulfill his defensive upside by giving him more energy.
Whether it's in a head-to-head matchup or simply as the two teams jockey for seeding, the Timberwolves' ferocious perimeter defense will benefit them while the Lakers' subpar perimeter defense will hurt them.
The Timberwolves are far from the only team with elite perimeter play in the West. Of course, the back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs to be considered. As does the San Antonio Spurs' three-headed guard monster of Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper. Jamal Murray on the Denver Nuggets could also give the Lakers fits. And while he's a forward, the Lakers don't have a natural matchup for Kevin Durant.
This discrepancy in on-ball defense makes the Timberwolves better positioned to compete for a title than the Lakers, and they clearly have the upper hand in a head-to-head matchup.
None of this is to say that the Lakers are a bad team. Regardless, the point is that LA has some clear flaws that the Timberwolves and other teams can expose. Given that there are two juggernauts in the West that Minnesota has to worry about, the Lakers' familiar fatal flaw is something they can take solace in.
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