The Los Angeles Lakers were flying high in March, but they have come crashing down to Earth in April. The Lakers have suffered hammer blows at the start of the month in the form of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves being ruled out for the rest of the regular season due to injuries.
Doncic is dealing with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, while Reaves has suffered a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury. The latter looks set to miss the entire first round of the playoffs, while the former might be able to play some part in it.
This is far from an ideal situation for the Lakers, and here’s a look at what their starting lineup might be at the start of the playoffs without Doncic and Reaves.
Starters
Point Guard: Marcus Smart
Shooting Guard: Luke Kennard
Small Forward: LeBron James
Power Forward: Jake LaRavia
Center: Deandre Ayton
Marcus Smart is currently out with a right ankle contusion, but he should be back for the playoffs. He is a lock to start, along with LeBron James and Deandre Ayton.
Smart has impressed in his first season with the Lakers, averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2025-26. He has been their best defensive player, but they’ll also need him to step up offensively now.
LeBron will be the one carrying the biggest load on offense. The 41-year-old had lately taken a backseat to Reaves and Doncic, but he’ll now have to put this team on his back.
LeBron has had some phenomenal games this season, but the consistency hasn’t quite been there. He has averaged 20.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2025-26, and the Lakers’ only hope of advancing past the first round would be him turning back the clock.
Ayton impressing in a bigger role would also help matters. He had previously complained about his role in the Lakers’ offense, and he is likely to be a lot more involved in it now.
Ayton has averaged 12.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 2025-26. We saw him impress at times as the second and third option on offense during his time with the Phoenix Suns, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in them now.
As for the rest of the starting lineup, there are multiple combinations that you can go with. We have opted for Luke Kennard and Jake LaRavia.
Kennard has averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game as a Laker after he was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at the deadline. He has shot 47.0% from three and provides some much-needed spacing, as James and Smart are both under 35.0% for the season. Kennard can also be the tertiary ball-handler after these two.
Now, defense is a concern with Kennard, which is why LaRavia gets the nod at power forward. He is one of the better defenders on this team, and has averaged 8.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2025-26. LaRavia has struggled from deep, shooting 32.0% from three, but the defensive impact makes up for it.
While there are some things to like here, this definitely isn’t the greatest of starting fives. Unfortunately, that is the case when we look at the bench unit as well.
Bench
Point Guard: Bronny James
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bufkin
Small Forward: Dalton Knecht, Adou Thiero
Power Forward: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt
Center: Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber
Rui Hachimura is, of course, the best of the bunch and could well end up being a starter over Kennard. Hachimura is shooting over 40.0% from three for the third straight season and helps with spacing. The Lakers struggled defensively when he and James started together earlier in the season, though, so a bench role might be what’s best for him.
As for the rest, Jaxson Hayes has proven to be a solid backup for Ayton at center. Jarred Vanderbilt would have been another good option off the bench, but his outside shot has deserted him once again. Vanderbilt can provide some value with his defense, but there is a reason his playing time always goes down in the playoffs.
There are concerns about the offense when it comes to Bronny James as well. Bronny has been getting more minutes lately and has had some good moments, but is he ready to play a significant role off the bench in the playoffs? It’s doubtful, but time will tell.
Kobe Bufkin is the other guard option, and the Lakers just recalled him and Dalton Knecht from the South Bay Lakers, their G League affiliate, on Saturday. Bufkin and Knecht wouldn’t have been expecting to play any sort of role in the postseason, and they’ll now likely be getting some non-garbage time minutes. That is not ideal.
All in all, it’s hard to be too optimistic about these 50-27 Lakers as things stand. It’s a real shame that the injury bug struck them at the worst possible time.
