All was going well for the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of March, but then disaster struck in April. The Lakers have seen both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffer injuries that have ruled them out for the rest of the regular season. Doncic and Reaves will miss the start of the playoffs as well, and Stephen A. Smith was asked on First Take how far LeBron James can take this team without his two co-stars.
“They’re going home in April,” Smith said. “Without Luka and without AR, the Lakers are going home in April. Ladies and gentlemen, they couldn’t stop a cold against the Dallas Mavericks. They couldn’t stop anybody. And when AR and Luka Doncic are looking like better defenders than the people you had on the floor, it ain’t nowhere to go from there.”
Smith was referring to the Lakers’ 134-128 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The lowly Mavericks had their way with that defense, going 46-88 (52.3%) from the field and 14-32 (43.8%) from beyond the arc. The Lakers especially had no answers for young Cooper Flagg, who racked up 45 points on the night.
Now, Smith brought up the fact that this was the first time that the Lakers had trotted out the starting lineup of James, Luke Kennard, Jake LaRavia, and Deandre Ayton. They had never even played together as a group, which could have contributed to some of the defensive woes. Even if there is improvement, though, Smith doesn’t think a team can rely on James to carry them on their back at this stage of his career.
“You can’t ask him to turn around and carry the load as a number one option at the age of 41 in his 23rd season,” Smith stated. “Which obviously he is, now that Luka and AR are out. There’s, but so much you can ask. I love what JJ Redick said. These guys are planning on coming back. They’re not giving up on coming back, meaning Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic. We know that. So, it’s our job to extend the season in time for them to be able to return to action.
“I don’t know if the Lakers could do that,” Smith continued. “I think that in order for the Lakers to have any shot, they both have to be back somewhere midway through the first round in order for the Lakers to pull this off. Otherwise, the Lakers, I’m giving them zero, I repeat, zero chance of getting out of the first round, which means their season ends this month.”
It does seem unlikely that Doncic and Reaves will return at some point in the first round. The Slovenian is trying his best to make a quick recovery, though.
Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in Thursday’s 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the average recovery time is four to six weeks. Instead of just sitting around in the U.S., the six-time All-Star has instead headed to Europe for specialized medical treatment to expedite his return. So, there is an outside chance he is able to play in the first round.
That would be a huge boost for the Lakers. Doncic has been sensational this season, averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He is the NBA’s leading scorer and would give the Lakers a puncher’s chance against almost every team in the league. You shouldn’t count on him coming back, though.
As for Reaves, he has been ruled out for four to six weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury against the Thunder. That timeline almost certainly means he won’t play in the first round. That would be a big blow, with Reaves averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2025-26.
It is a real shame that this is when the injury bug struck the Lakers. They had gone 15-2 in March, and all that good work has been undone by two injuries in one game against the Thunder.
