Defensive lapses have defined the Los Angeles Lakers’ season far too often. Against lower-seeded opponents, breakdowns pile up, star scorers roam freely, and the numbers tell a harsh story with the team sitting in the league’s bottom five in defensive rating. As the losses mount, outside scrutiny has sharpened, with much of the blame beginning to circle around one name, Luka Doncic.

“Dallas did a great job of putting Luka in positions that hid him,” Carmelo Anthony told PJ Tucker on his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast.

“They put him in a situation where they hit him, right, to where he don’t have to be in the action. The Lakers, because of the way that they’re played, their scheme and their strategies, you cannot hide Luka anymore because teams are headhunting now.”

Anthony was careful to add context, admitting that he was never a lockdown defender. However, he focused on the understanding that he himself had to develop: how teams conceal star players, manage matchups, and minimize exposure.

Anthony’s example of the Mavericks is apt: despite Doncic carrying a large burden on offense, the team’s defense remained good due to the solid construction of the team, something that LA has not figured out so far.

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In today’s NBA, fourth and fifth options are no longer passive floor spacers. They don’t mind taking on the offensive load if they see Luka across from them. What used to be manageable possessions with the Mavs have turned into repeated actions, forcing Doncic into making decisions and putting effort that has consequences all over the game.

That’s where Tucker jumped in, framing the issue as Doncic’s responsibility, not talent. He told Anthony:

“Win the margins. I need you to do the little things to be able to get the stops to put us in a position to win, and not be in coverage and throw your hands up and, you know, all the mannerisms.”

Carmelo Anthony Looks at JJ Redick to Fix Luka Doncic’s Defensive Responsibility

Carmelo Anthony agreed with Tucker’s observations and started shifting the conversation to a more uncomfortable topic. The former Knicks forward openly questioned why Doncic wasn’t being questioned.

“JJ wants to hold a motherf—– accountable, but he know can’t really hold his m———- accountable like that because he giving me 40,” he said. “Who can hold Luka accountable over there on that Lakers bench other than LeBron? Nobody is barking on Luka.”

Anthony used examples from his own career. Back when he played for the Denver Nuggets, Melo had veterans who weren’t afraid to call him out, like Kenyon Martin. Voices like those corrected young stars in real time instead of managing them directly. Unfortunately, they just aren’t present on the Lakers’ bench right now.

Redick is left in an impossible spot. He can’t publicly hammer the generational offensive engine by benching him, and without vets, accountability stops being enforced.

Doncic’s defensive issues aren’t anything new, and when Anthony talks about Doncic’s “misery,” he’s not questioning desire. He’s questioning if the Lakers have built a system capable of supporting a star that carries that big of an offensive load.