NBA Execs Sound Off on LeBron James, Lakers' Chances in Playoffs amid Luka, Reaves Injuries
Multiple NBA executives reportedly don't like the Los Angeles Lakers' chances of advancing past the first round of the playoffs if Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves are both unavailable due to injury.
With Dončić and Reaves currently on the shelf, LeBron James has become the Lakers' unquestioned go-to guy once again, and L.A. may need him to play like a younger version of himself in order to have a chance early in the postseason.
As of now, the Lakers are the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and lined up to face the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round. An anonymous Western Conference executive doesn't like the matchup for L.A., telling ESPN's Tim Bontemps, "Houston's defense will just swallow them up."
Another Western Conference exec echoed similar sentiments, telling ESPN's Brian Windhorst, "I'd love to be able to see LeBron have a vintage series, but I'm afraid the teams that win the play-in might give OKC and San Antonio a better series than the Lakers can give Houston without AR and Luka."
Per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Dončić strained his hamstring last week, and he is out indefinitely. Shortly thereafter, Reaves suffered a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury that will keep him out at least for the remainder of the regular season.
Reaves' absence could stretch far longer than that, though, as ESPN's Shams Charania (h/t McMenamin) reported he is expected to miss four to six weeks.
According to McMenamin and Charania, Dončić recently traveled to Spain to receive an injection for his hamstring in hopes that it will cut down his recovery time.
Still, it is unclear if there is any hope of the league's leading scorer returning at some point during the first round of the playoffs.
Dončić has been among the NBA's leading MVP candidates all season long with averages of 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game, while Reaves has had a career year in his own right with 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
James is unquestionably one of the greatest players of all time with four NBA titles, four NBA MVP awards, four NBA Finals MVP awards and the most points in league history to his credit, but he is nearing the end of his career at 41 years of age.
He has still been productive this season with 20.9 points, 7.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game, but there is little doubt that LeBron has taken a backseat to Dončić.
However, if Dončić is unable to play in the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers will require a vintage LeBron performance to have any chance, and it is fair to wonder if he is still capable of performing at that level and sustaining it for an entire playoff series.
