Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is expected to be sidelined for at least a week with a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion. Dončić was initially listed as questionable for L.A.’s game against the Sacramento Kings Sunday night, but will instead head to the injury list.
It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but it’s a another big blow for a Lakers team that is already without LeBron James, who is dealing with sciatica and has no timeline for a return. The absence of James was certainly felt in L.A.’s season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors, but Dončić’s heroics carried the Lakers to a blowout win against the Timberwolves. Dončić’s play through the first two games is nothing short of MVP-level. He’s averaging an absurd 46 points, 11.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists and nearly notched a triple-double in a 128-110 win over the Timberwolves in which completely dismantled Minnesota’s defense.
With Dončić expected to miss a week, that means he’ll miss matchups against the Kings, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Heat. And with no update on James as of late, that means the Lakers will likely be without both of their star players for the foreseeable future.
With Dončić and James out, that means Austin Reaves will slide into the No. 1 option role for the Lakers. He’s averaging 25.5 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Lakers so far, and now he will be asked to do even more with L.A.’s top two players sidelined. That also means will see a bigger scoring role for Rui Hachimura, who is off to a career-best start to the season (16 points, three rebounds).
In regards to who will fill that vacancy in the starting lineup with Dončić out, JJ Redick could keep the three-guard lineup by putting Marcus Smart in there. He could also put Jake LaRavia in with the starting unit to keep some size and shooting on the floor. Regardless of who Redick puts out there, though, it’s going to be an uphill battle for at least the next week without both Dončić and James.
It’ll be a tough road ahead for the Lakers, especially in a Western Conference where a down week can be the difference in making the playoffs or not. That seems ridiculous to talk about given we’re barely a week into the season, but that’s the reality of the gauntlet that is the Western Conference.
