What's Wright - Best of NBA: LeBron James x Lakers PROBLEMS, Tatum's Celtics return, Jokic vs. OKC | Nick Wright

Welcome to the best of the week for What’s Right with Nick Wright, the sharpest takes and moments from the show—enjoy.

Last year you said LeBron would make it work with his team—are you still there?

The Lakers’ core problem is roster construction, not chemistry—they lack enough shooting and defense in a league built on both, and the LeBron, Luka, and Austin trio tanks their defense when they share the floor.

LeBron has his lowest usage ever while Luka has his highest and Austin’s is up too, so LeBron has clearly adjusted, but with an offense sitting around tenth they needed a top-three attack to cover the back end and right now they’re not a real contender.

And the late-game stuff—Luka passing up shots—what’s going on there?

The play was drawn up for Luka and he’s not scared of the moment, but he hasn’t taken a single shot to tie or take the lead in the final minute while others have, which is odd and a little disappointing given he’s still putting up a scoring title line.

Last spring they got the matchup they wanted and got blown off the floor, and the needed gains—conditioning and defense—haven’t really moved since the hamstring.

Could LeBron actually own the Vegas expansion team?

He’s been clear he wants to own a team and specifically Vegas, but the expansion check could be around six billion and I do not know how much the league will even allow to be financed.

It would be great for the NBA to have LeBron in ownership, Vegas is booming as a sports town, but there’s no obvious sweetheart path like Jordan once had.

Jalen Brown’s surge—MVP chatter or too soon?

I underrated him and he’s blown past what I thought he could be; I’d have him third right now behind Jokic and Shai, with Cade and Wemby next and Luka just outside, and games-played rules could reshuffle that.

As for Tatum, the smartest window is come back in March with a ramp or not at all, and this team can win it even if he’s at roughly three quarters of himself, though the legacy noise either way is impossible to avoid.

OKC fans want you to hit Jokic for antics after you blasted Dort’s shot—where do you land now?

Jokic flopped some and had a rough night, but Dort’s mid-court hip and leg check on a player without the ball was a blatant cheap shot, more dangerous than hard contact you can brace for and part of a longer pattern of borderline stuff.

OKC’s guards play right to the whistle and often get leniency, but this spotlight tightens officiating and could ding their repeat chances, like when the Eagles’ push lost its edge under scrutiny—Knicks tomorrow, Denver soon, and the refs will be on high alert, so be an enforcer without reversing into a three-time MVP.