The Lakers have sidelined Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the rest of the regular season and may even face the beginning of the first round of the playoffs without them. Therefore, their third option, LeBron James, has become their new first option.
There is an increased expectation that the team will turn to LeBron James, the 41-year-old superstar, to carry them without their star players. James spoke to the media about this expectation from him and how the team plans to counter this new hurdle.
“I mean, it’s a challenge for us,” James said after practice. “It’s always got to be a next-man-up [mentality]. But there’s no way you can replace that type of impact. So it’s going to be a collective group.”
“We all have to figure out a way to do a little bit more. … But now you’ve got to be even more tightened up on the things that we do.”
“When you lose a special player like that, you can’t have as many mistakes. So we got to figure that out,” James said about losing Luka Doncic.
The 41-year-old veteran is currently averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 51.1% from the field and 31.3% from behind the three-point line.
He was just getting used to being the third option when suddenly he now has the burden of the first option on his shoulders. However, James seemed confident that he could make the necessary adjustments.
“You’ve got to flip the mindset a little bit when your role changes, whatever the case may be or what’s needed out of [you for] the team,” James said. “So the mindset changes a little bit, for sure.”
During the Lakers’ humiliating defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Doncic sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He is out for the remainder of the regular season, and it is unclear when and if he will be available for the playoffs.
The Slovenian superstar was averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the three-point line.
On the same night, Reaves also injured his back and was forced to head to the locker room in the middle of the game before coming back out to play through the injury for the rest of the night.
He was later diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique injury and is expected to return in four to six weeks, which could make him available in the second round if the Lakers advance. The team confirmed that he will miss the remainder of the regular season.
The 27-year-old guard has averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds while going 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc.
The two guards combined to average contributions in about 80 points scored of the Lakers’ average of 116.5 points per game. Their absence will leave a massive gap in their offensive strategies, nearly impossible for James to fill alone.
Therefore, he will need other players on the Lakers to also step up and help him lead the team past the first round before they can hope to have either Doncic or Reaves back in action fully healthy.
