Lakers scramble to solidify playoff rotation as Doncic, Reaves remain sidelined
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The Los Angeles Lakers are juggling lineup combinations with only three regular-season games remaining after multi-week injuries to guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves disrupted a team that had gone 16-2 over its previous 18 contests.
Head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the challenge following Tuesday’s 123-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where starting center Deandre Ayton finished with three points on 1-of-4 shooting and three rebounds. “He’s just had trouble catching the ball,” Redick said, adding that the staff has continued to call plays for the 2018 No. 1 pick.
Los Angeles has now dropped three straight games. “Chemistry was high. We were really close as a group, and it still is,” guard Luke Kennard said. “Obviously, it’s a different look out there on the court and different voices, but it was definitely a shock and something we weren’t expecting this late in the year.”
Rotation outlook
Law Murray of The Athletic placed the current roster in tiers for potential playoff minutes, listing LeBron James alone in the anchor category. Kennard, Marcus Smart, Jaxson Hayes and Jake LaRavia were labeled rotation locks.
Smart will miss his ninth consecutive game on Thursday at Golden State with a right ankle contusion, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Redick continues to describe the veteran guard as day-to-day and admitted the club expected Smart to have returned by now.
Vanderbilt incident
Redick downplayed a sideline exchange with forward Jarred Vanderbilt after calling a timeout 16 seconds into the second quarter on Tuesday to remove him. Vanderbilt, 27, verbally responded before sitting the remainder of the night, ending with three points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in five minutes. He exited the arena before reporters reached the locker room.
Contract questions for Reaves
Reaves is widely anticipated to decline his $14.9 million player option for 2026-27. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report projects the 27-year-old guard could command a new deal starting between $30 million and $41.3 million, the latter being his maximum first-year salary.
Calls for caution
Columnist Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times argued that the Lakers should shut down both Doncic and Reaves for the remainder of the season to avoid aggravating their injuries. Doncic traveled to Europe for treatment on a Grade 2 hamstring strain, while Reaves continues to recover from a strained oblique.
The Lakers visit the Warriors on Thursday before closing the regular season with two home games.
Source: Hoops Rumors
