What Lakers’ rotation will look like without Luka Doncic

Drama often tends to go hand-in-hand with the Los Angeles Lakers, who had over the previous few weeks convinced everyone that they were going to be legitimate title contenders once the playoffs arrived.

However, on Thursday, not only were they humbled by defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder, they also lost Luka Doncic to a left hamstring injury. Doncic hobbled off the court midway through the third quarter after scoring 12 points during a difficult 26 minutes that saw him go 3-10 overall from the field.

Undoubtedly a big blow, Doncic was in the midst of one of his best career-runs, had averaged 37.5 points, eight rebounds and 7.4 assists in March, during which LA went 15-2. The Slovenian had scored more than 40 points in five of his last seven games and each of his last three. He will now undergo an MRI scan which is expected to reveal the extent of the injury.

With the expectation that he can miss anywhere between 1 and 6 weeks, per Basket News, the Lakers are at risk of being without their main man until as late as the first round of the playoffs. LA has already secured a top-six seed and are expected to play against one of the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

Further, JJ Redick and company will want to ensure Doncic returns only when he is completely fit, especially considering it is the same hamstring that he injured earlier in the season, which also saw him miss several games. For now, however, the question of who will replace his offensive production becomes critical as the Lakers look to end the regular season on a high.

They have still won 14 of their last 16 games and will need some of their other stars to take up responsibility. However, who will they be?

What will the Lakers’ rotation look like without Luka Doncic?

First and foremost, while the Lakers’ big-3 has been in prime form of late, the roster clicked together as a group only when LeBron James showed a more regular willingness to play as the obvious third option. This season, James’ usage rate has seen a dramatic drop.

He has touched the ball for 4.32 minutes per 100 possessions compared to his previous career-low of 7.32 minutes per 100 possessions, and is driving just eight times every 100 possessions, down from 14.5 just last season. Further, while his efficiency has not dropped, LeBron has also returned with 15 or fewer shot attempts much more regularly of late, something that should dramatically change once again.

Hence, the first player who may be expected to be involved much more in Doncic’s absence is undoubtedly LeBron, who will once again be the secondary scorer behind Austin Reaves. However, that is not going to bring about a major change in the Lakers’ rotation, and will rather impact who their offense flows through in the Slovenian’s absence. Something similar can be expected to happen with Reaves as well.

Without Doncic, Reaves’ usage rate has been a high 34.2% this season, dropping to around 29% when he plays as the second option. This suggests that Reaves is well and truly leading the way over James when it comes to the current roster.

Both the players have shown a commendable willingness to be the second fiddle in Doncic’s absence, and will now be tasked with leading the line in what is left of the regular season. Austin Reaves has not scored more than 20 points in his last three games, producing 26 in the recent win over the Brooklyn Nets.

In Doncic’s absence, he may once again edge closer towards his season average of 23.3 points per game. However, as far as playing time is concerned, the Lakers look capable of sharing minutes among their core in the absence of Doncic, with Deandre Ayton’s stark improvement also set to make life easier.

While Ayton’s defensive effort still tends to fluctuate, he has maintained a career-high 67.4% shooting efficiency overall and has seen his attempts per game dramatically drop to 8.3 per game, his worst-ever. That suggests that the Lakers have an opportunity to involve Ayton more in their offense alongside the likes of James and Reaves.

LA can also be expected to start Rui Hachimura alongside Ayton to make up for the latter’s defensive vulnerabilities. Hachimura, who has played an average of 28.1 minutes per game, has of late played less than 20 minutes in several games, another phenomenon that can be expected to change in the absence of Doncic.

Moving on, LA has plenty of bench threats who can also be expected to see slight increases in minutes. And while Doncic’s absence is undoubtedly a major blow to a team that had threatened to look like title contenders, the Lakers have some obvious answers in their rotation already.

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