The Los Angeles Lakers are without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves indefinitely. Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain last Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Reaves a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain on the same day. Both will miss the remainder of the regular season and likely some of the playoffs.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson is always rooting for the franchise’s success, even after his uneven stint as the team’s president of basketball operations. He, like the rest of the fanbase, was disappointed to hear the slew of bad injury news and reacted to both Doncic and Reaves‘ injuries.
I’m devastated about Luka Doncic’s injury because he was having an MVP season and he should definitely be first-team all NBA!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 7, 2026
Just when I thought Luka’s injury was devastating for my Lakers we got the news that Austin Reaves will also be out with an oblique injury. The timing of these injuries couldn’t be worse with the NBA Playoffs a week away. 😫
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 7, 2026
Johnson joins the masses in vouching for Doncic to still be a candidate for MVP and, at the very least, All-NBA First Team. It’s unclear if Doncic will be eligible for either award, as he will only play in 64 regular season games this season. He will appeal the two games he missed for the birth of his child back in December, but there are no guarantees.
Reaves’ final season under contract before hitting unrestricted free agency was a mixed bag. When he played, he was absolutely stellar. He averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game on 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from three. He was a legitimate All-Star candidate for much of the year. But two major injuries limited him to 51 games played.
Every single Lakers fan, from Johnson on down, is frustrated as to how this season will end. The two best players will likely be off the floor when they host playoff games in the first round.
JJ Redick used available information with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
Some have criticized the fact that Doncic and Reaves were in the game against the Thunder at all when they suffered their potential season-ending injuries. The Thunder were up by more than 30, and both players had tweaked the muscles they eventually strained.
However, head coach JJ Redick said both were medically cleared to play by the team’s training staff before being put back into the game.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
