The Los Angeles Lakers were dealt a significant blow during their Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets as Austin Reaves suffered a calf strain during the game. With Reaves expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks, Lakers head coach JJ Redick faces a serious issue in deciding his backcourt rotations.
Ahead of the game against the Sacramento Kings, JJ Redick was asked about how inserting Marcus Smart into the starting lineup would address Reaves’ absence in the immediate future. He responded:
“It impacts everybody down the line… Those minutes have to be allocated to someone. But then, it also impacts who’s playing with whom. So, we’re going to try something different tonight with our lineups, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Smart’s addition to the starting lineup ensures that the Lakers have a solid point-of-attack defender at their disposal. While the majority of the lineup remains unchanged, with both Reaves and Gabe Vincent out, there could be an opportunity for some other players to earn more minutes in the rotation.
On that note, Redick even revealed some players who could be in line to receive more playing time.
“I think, you know, for Nick [Smith Jr.], he’s getting more of an opportunity, which I think happens throughout the season for a lot of two-ways when there’s multiple injuries at a position,” Redick stated. “With Gabe continuing to be out, I think the next game, two games, three games, whatever it takes, Nick’s got an opportunity now.”
“He’s helped win us two games already this season in Toronto and at Portland. So, we trust him. But yeah, that would be the guy probably.”
“We’re not going to ask him to do more. We never ask guys to do more,” Redick continued. “But he’s going to get consistent minutes for the foreseeable future.”
Nick Smith Jr. certainly makes a strong case for earning minutes in the rotation. On the Lakers’ roster, Smith has positioned himself as a reliable scoring option. Given his noteworthy performances against the Raptors and Blazers, as Redick mentioned, the Purple and Gold could look to step up in Reaves’ absence.
Currently, the Lakers remain extremely dependent on their starters to produce on the offensive end. While Smart and Jake LaRavia were the top scorers off the bench, Smart’s promotion to the starting lineup could result in fewer contributions from the second unit.
For the 2025-26 season, Smith is averaging 7.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 43.8% shooting from the field and 41.0% from three-point range. His ability as a flat-out scorer could be immensely valuable, especially in the current scenario.
The Lakers are heading into Sunday night’s game on a three-game losing streak. Given the need to break out of this slump and return to winning habits, the Purple and Gold will need to rally together to secure a win.
