New Lakers Rumors on Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves Injury Timelines, LeBron James, More

LeBron James is reportedly ready to lead the Los Angeles Lakers into their first round series against the Houston Rockets whether or not that involves injured teammates Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Thursday that "sources told ESPN they have no expectation of having either Doncic or Reaves back at any point in the first round."

"But they also have not completely ruled out the possibility of one or both of them becoming available the longer the series lasts," McMenamin wrote.

McMenamin wrote that James "was unfazed by what it would mean for him personally, sources close to him said," because his previous role as a third option behind Dončić and Reaves had been due to the Lakers' needs and not decline in his play.

James has already taken on a larger role since the guards' injuries. According to McMenamin, James contributed more than just his 26 points and 11 assists in the April 9 win over the Golden State Warriors that helped the Lakers to hold on to first-round home court advantage.

McMenamin reported that a source said James set the "tone" for the Warriors in a pregame meeting in the team hotel.

"Just leading the group in the walkthrough, taking it serious and trying to come out and get a win in Golden State, it just kind of reset a tone of like, 'Hey guys, I don't know what's going to happen, but let's be committed to each other," the source told McMenamin. "'Let's be committed to the process.'"

McMenamin's report comes two days after Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters both Dončić and Reaves would be sidelined "indefinitely" due to their respective injuries.

Dončić suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, while Reaves suffered a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury, in an April 2 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dončić's injury usually necessitates a month of recovery, while Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks with his injury, per McMenamin and ESPN's Shams Charania.

Both will miss at least the start of the Lakers' first-round series, which begins Saturday night against the visiting Rockets and could extend as late as May 3 if it goes to seven games.

The Lakers finished out the regular season with a 3-2 record despite losing their backcourt starters in part thanks to James, who saw his usage immediately climb over that stretch.

"We're gonna need him to facilitate, we're going to need him to score, we're going to need him to defend and rebound," Redick said on April 11 about James' new role. "I think he recognizes the task at hand, and he's very locked in."

The Lakers also benefitted from role players who stepped up without Dončić and Reaves. Luke Kennard moved into the point guard position for those five games, a span over which he has averaged 12.2 points and 6.4 assists per game.

Hachimura has posted two 20-point nights over that same span, while Marcus Smart has contributed to the Lakers' ball handling since returning from the ankle injury that recently sidelined him for nine games.

The Lakers will hope those players are able to continue stepping up as the team looks to stretch their postseason long enough to get their injured stars back on the court.