The Los Angeles Lakers successful March may end up being all for naught because of the recent rash of injuries the team has suffered.
The Lakers were dealt their biggest blows of the 2025-26 campaign after Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were each ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. Both Doncic and Reaves were hurt in the blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the former suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain while the latter was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury.
While losing both stars puts a serious dent in the Lakers’ championship aspirations, head coach JJ Redick said the group still has a job to do with hopes that both will be able to return at some point:
“We knew that Austin was likely gonna be out for a little bit of time,” Redick said on Spectrum SportsNet before Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. “Obviously disappointed and devastated for him to have his regular season finish this way… Both of those guys are gonna try to come back, and it’s our job to extend the season so that they can.”
On paper, it looks like Los Angeles is headed for a first-round exit in the playoffs given the talent disparity they’ll be up against in any matchup. LeBron James has looked like himself in the second half of the season, but it’s too much to ask him to carry an offense single-handedly.
However, the Lakers have shown how resilient they can be and the goal now is to try and survive at least one playoff round in hopes that Doncic and Reaves can then return. The timeline seems tight given the nature of Doncic and Reaves’ injuries and the postseason schedule, but perhaps Los Angeles can surprise the rest of the basketball world.
In order to survive the rest of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, Redick will need to get the most out of the supporting cast. Players like Luke Kennard, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura are going to have to step up and assume more offensive responsibility, while Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt will need to make shots to keep defenses honest.
Luka Doncic returning to Europe for hamstring treatment
While a Grade 2 sprain typically requires multiple weeks and potentially over a month of recovery time, Doncic is trying to speed up that process as he returned to Europe to receive specialized treatment on his hamstring.
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