If Luka Doncic’s injury wasn’t enough, JJ Redick has now put the Lakers in dire straits with a worrying update on two more players. The Lakers were flying in March as they reclaimed the third seed in the Western Conference. Things were looking positive for the Purple and Gold until they met the Oklahoma City Thunder and suffered a blowout defeat. But more than that result, it’s the player situation that’s more concerning right now.

According to NBA Insider Mike Trudell, both Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart have injury concerns, and there’s a strong possibility that they may miss the upcoming game against the Dallas Mavericks. Reaves reportedly tweaked his rib/oblique against the Thunder as the Lakers await MRI reports to gain more clarity on his situation. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart remains on the sidelines after suffering another knock on the same ankle, which kept him out earlier this season.

The game against the Thunder was mentally and physically challenging for the Lakers, and with all the injuries surfacing, it seems like most of them happened because Redick’s men wanted to match the reigning champions’ intensity and failed miserably. Reaves suffered his issue in the first quarter when he supposedly overextended his back while going for a rebound and felt a tweak.

He headed to the locker room only to return in the second quarter and eventually finished with 15 points. While Reaves downplayed the injury after the game, it will only be determined after the MRI reports are out.

Smart has been a crucial member of this Lakers roster as he brings a lot of experience, leadership, defensive prowess, and hustle. He is someone who is always looking to throw his body, especially in defensive exchanges. However, he has been on the sidelines since March 21, when the veteran guard sustained an injury on his right ankle after Orlando Magic star Goga Bitadze fell on him.

Once again, the injury was initially downplayed, but now he has missed six straight games, raising major concerns around the Lakers’ backcourt in the final stretch of the regular season.

JJ Redick reveals revised strategy for the Lakers following Luka Doncic’s injury absence

With the playoffs knocking at the door, this is a massive setback for the Los Angeles Lakers and their aspirations of holding onto the third spot. Redick revealed that the Lakers will look to play differently as they will be without Luka Doncic, who has been running the offense for them with aplomb over the last couple of months.

“From a strategic, tactical standpoint, we obviously are gonna have to play a little bit differently,” Redick stated following Saturday’s practice via Khobi Price on X. “There’s enough that we have in that we can play through LeBron, play through Rui, play through DA. And then we’ll just wait and see until Austin and Smart are back, but our mission hasn’t changed: we want to go get the 3-seed, and we want to win a first-round series.”

It is a tricky situation for Redick and the Lakers as they are running out of backcourt options, at least for the upcoming games. It will be interesting to see how Redick uses LeBron James or Rui Hachimura in the backcourt until Reaves and Smart return.

The Lakers have already clinched their spot in the playoffs, and one would think that it is an ideal time to rest the players, but Redick believes that holding onto the third seed in the West behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs would be beneficial for the Purple and Gold, helping them make a deep run in the postseason.

With five games left in the regular season, the West could see a proper photo finish. Both the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets are hot on their heels. The only advantage that the Lakers have in this scenario is that they have the tiebreaker over both teams. Therefore, Redick has hopes of holding onto the spot until he gets his reinforcements back for the playoffs.