Minneapolis, Minnesota — April 26, 2025 — For months, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to mask their most glaring weakness: the lack of a true big man. But in the intensity of the NBA Playoffs 2025, there’s nowhere left to hide.

Now trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves 2-1 in their first-round series, the Lakers’ rim protection issues have been fully exposed — and could ultimately lead to their early playoff exit.

While Luka Doncic struggled with illness during the Lakers’ 116-104 Game 3 loss, the bigger problem was the Timberwolves’ relentless attack inside. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels repeatedly drove to the basket, facing little resistance from a Lakers defense that lacked size and physicality at the rim.

Timberwolves Dominate Paint Against Undersized Lakers

The numbers from Game 3 tell the full story:

• Timberwolves’ points in the paint: 56

• Lakers’ points in the paint: 26

• Shots attempted in the paint: Timberwolves 45, Lakers 28

McDaniels finished with a playoff-career-high 30 points, including 24 in the paint, while Edwards added 29 points and eight assists, carving up the Lakers’ defense.

“We don’t have rim protection,” Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted. “If you give up blow-bys, you’re going to give up something.”

Lakers’ Center Problem: No Clear Fix in Sight

Although Jaxson Hayes technically fills the role of center, Redick has been hesitant to play him significant minutes. Hayes logged just nine minutes in Game 3, during which the Lakers were outscored by 13 points.

The root of the issue stems from the midseason trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Doncic — leaving Hayes as the only true center. The Lakers had a deal in place for Charlotte’s Mark Williams, but concerns during his physical caused the trade to fall apart.

In hindsight, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka’s failure to secure a reliable big man may haunt the team if they can’t close the size gap against the Timberwolves.

Can the Lakers Overcome the Deficit?

Despite their flaws, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves give the Lakers plenty of firepower.
Redick remains optimistic: “When we’ve been at our best, we’ve been able to be physical on the ball and have a multiple effort mentality.”

Forward Dorian Finney-Smith echoed that sentiment, blaming Game 3’s struggles more on effort than size.

“Just gotta do a better job standing in front of the ball,” Finney-Smith said. “It wasn’t just about our size. It was about urgency and base defense.”

What’s Next for Lakers vs Timberwolves?

If Doncic can recover fully from his illness — which had him vomiting before Game 3 — and if the Lakers can tighten up defensively, there’s still hope for a turnaround. But unless they find a way to protect the rim and control the paint, Minnesota will continue to exploit their most glaring weakness.

The Lakers’ playoff hopes now hinge not just on the greatness of LeBron and Luka, but on whether they can fix — or at least manage — the rim protection crisis exposed so brutally in Game 3.