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The Los Angeles Lakers have been without two of their best players to start the season. LeBron James is yet to make his debut as he deals with sciatica, and Luka Doncic has missed the last three games with injuries to his leg and finger. Without the two All-NBA players, the Lakers have gone 2-1, beating the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves. Austin Reaves has been fantastic without his co-stars, clearly ready for a bigger role. While the Lakers likely could continue to win games without both Doncic and James, they got a positive injury update on October 30th that should alleviate any concerns. Los Angeles Lakers Get Injury Update Doncic played in the first two games of the season, scoring 43 and 49 points as the Lakers split contests with the Golden State Warriors and Timberwolves. Doncic appeared to be in the best shape of his NBA career and was eager to prove to fans and doubters that he is an MVP candidate. However, he has missed the last three games, and concerns about long-term injury, as always, have started to mount. When ESPN’s Shams Charania first announced the injury, it was reported that Doncic would miss at least a week. That set his earliest possible return for Sunday, November 2nd, against the Miami Heat. Apparently, he’s ahead of schedule. The Lakers announced on Thursday that Doncic is questionable for a Halloween showdown against the Memphis Grizzlies. Marcus Smart has also been upgraded to questionable as he deals with a quad injury. While the Reaves-led Lakers have been solid, Doncic remains the best player on the team. As they get healthy, the Lakers are expected to improve as the season goes on. Los Angeles Lakers Remain Banged Up While Doncic could be cleared to make an early return, the Lakers are still injured. James is expected to be out for at least two more weeks. Veterans Maxi Kleber and Gabe Vincent are also out, and rookie Adou Thiero is also injured. Thiero was not expected to play a major role this season for the Lakers, although Smart, Vincent, and especially James are key factors to the Lakers’ title hopes. While getting Doncic back on the court next to Reaves and Deandre Ayton is a massive step in the right direction, the Lakers are far from full strength. Considering that they have a winning record and have played mostly quality opponents, the league should be scared. A battered Lakers’ team is able to stay afloat. Once Doncic is back in stride and James returns, expect Los Angeles to be a powerhouse. The Lakers will travel to take on the Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA Cup.
