Lakers and LeBron James face uncertainty without injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are finished for the rest of the regular season due to injuries, and the Los Angeles Lakers could finish anywhere from third to fifth in the Western Conference playoff race. For now, the Lakers will lean on LeBron James as their primary scorer and floor leader, while keeping in mind that the 41-year-old is wrapping up his record 23rd NBA season. “I think we have to be mindful of that.
I think that’s a valid question,” coach JJ Redick said before the Lakers visited the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. “For all our guys, him included, we want to put them in positions to be successful. Certain guys are gonna be tasked with doing stuff they haven’t done a lot of this year.
” Doncic (left hamstring strain) and Reaves (left oblique strain) both were injured in a blowout loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday. It's unknown when or if the NBA scoring leader and Reaves, the Lakers' No. 2 scorer, will be available in the postseason.
Of course, Doncic is the centerpiece of that conversation as an MVP candidate who will finish the season one game short of the 65 required to be eligible for that and other postseason awards. “I just know that he’s gonna do everything he can to try to be back,” Redick said. “I talked to him Friday, I talked him again (Saturday), I talked with him again (Sunday) morning.
He’s gonna go through all the necessary things to be back at some point, and it’s our job again to extend the season so that both those guys can get back. ” Redick spoke of point guard by committee, an approach made necessary by another absence in Marcus Smart, who has a right ankle injury. Redick included James' son, Bronny James, in that mix along with Luke Kennard, Nick Smith Jr.