The Los Angeles Lakers finished the 2025-26 season with their highest win total in 15 years. However, with both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined going into the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets, the Purple & Gold are at a massive disadvantage.
In fact, experts have already ruled them out in the Houston series. Eleven out of 12 ESPN analysts favored the Rockets over the Lakers. Of the 11, nine think the Kevin Durant-led squad will finish it in five or six games. The other two predict that the Lakers will take it to the distance, but still absorb an L.
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In short, nobody really believes L.A. has enough to advance past the first round (except Marc J. Spears, the only ESPN “expert” who picked the Lakers). Nonetheless, Marcus Smart feels there is a way to make the improbable happen.
The Lakers have a puncher’s chance
Whichever angle you look at, it will take a minor miracle for the Los Angeles to pull this off. They have to figure out how to come up with nearly 57 points, the scoring void left by Doncic and Reaves. The Lakers’ starting backcourt also accounted for more than half of the team’s assists, so there’s a huge playmaking hole that needs to be filled as well.
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With that being said, the Rockets, no matter how talented and defensively capable they are, are not perfect. They have issues executing in the clutch without a true point guard, and they don’t seem to operate on the same wavelength all the time.
The main concern for the Lakers, as Smart believes, is to weather the initial storm. If they can keep it close, they may just have a puncher’s chance.
“They’re going to try to come in and punk us. And if you will allow that, you will be punked,” Smart said of the Rockets’ likely approach to begin the series. “And I don’t think we have any guys that are going to be punked on this team. So, we might not be the most athletic and strongest, but we got to have the most heart.”
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With a clear-cut talent deficiency, that’s exactly what the Rockets have to do since the opening bell. The Lakers are the best clutch team in the regular season, but without their top two scorers and playmakers, they might not generate enough offense to keep up.
And this is where the “heart” factor comes in for L.A. Effort alone won’t replace shot creation, but it can buy them time. If the Lakers can make this an ugly, grind-it-out game, they can turn the series into a test of discipline rather than talent.
A late series return for Luka and Austin?
Even in a tight spot as they are now, the Lakers, especially Doncic and Reaves, are not waving the white flag anytime soon.
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The Don is reportedly in Europe seeking specialized treatment for the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered and could be back with the team as soon as Friday. Meanwhile, Reaves, who is dealing with a Grade 2 oblique strain, is operating in the belief that he will be back sometime in the first round as well.
The only plausible way for both guys to make a return is if the Lakers extend the series to at least Game 5. That contest is scheduled on April 28, exactly 26 days since The Don went down in a game against Oklahoma City. If the series indeed goes the distance, it will increase the likelihood that one, or even both, of these guys suits up.
Whatever the case may be, it’s a tall task for the Lakers to make the series interesting. Besides, there is a real risk in rushing their best players back. A premature return could reaggravate the injury and create bigger problems down the line. The smart play here is to take the long view rather than settle for a short-term fix.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.