The first full season of Luka Doncic and LeBron James’ partnership saw the team battle for the third seed until the very last day. While the Los Angeles Lakers eventually settled for the fourth seed, they will have home-court advantage against the Houston Rockets. However, the Kevin Durant-led team remains in form, 9-1 in the last 10. Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are presumably out for the series (this could change for one of them because of new updates), it’s a tall ask. But head coach JJ Redick remains confident and has backup plans ready as his 41-year-old warhorse also faces minor health concerns.
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LeBron James’ not-so-great update
The Lakers veteran was noticeably hoarse at the training facility on Thursday. “Excuse my voice,” said LeBron James. “I don’t yell at anybody. I’ve been kind of sick.” The Lakers’ leader might be unwell, but he has battled major injuries this season. He initially missed the training camp and even 14 games at the beginning of the regular season due to a right-sided sciatica injury. Even before the final game a few days ago, the 22x All-Star was “questionable” because of left foot injury management. This is not an additional problem. It was because the team had been managing his workload over the last few games.
Still, before the tip-off, James sacrificed his rest and played in order to keep the Lakers’ hopes alive for a third seed. He featured 17 minutes as a “precautionary measure” yet still managed 18 points on 6 of 15 shooting. Before this, he played three games and scored 28, 26, and 30, respectively, and even played in certain back-to-backs, like the recent games against the Warriors and the Suns.
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Earlier this month, James joked about his fitness being unpredictable at this age. “I tell my teammates all the time, I go to bed, I’m available for the game, and I wake up, I’m [expletive] doubtful,” James said. “Every single time.”
Despite all the issues, though, James still showed up. So, until his health is extremely bad, expect the four-time NBA champion to play. He even had a message for his teammates. “You’ve got to be locked in,” James said. “We’ve had some really good days over the last couple of days, another one tomorrow, and a little bit of time on Saturday for Game 1.”
An encouraging update about Austin Reaves
Two weeks ago, during a road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Austin Reaves suffered a Grade 2 left oblique strain. The initial recovery time was 4 to 6 weeks. For Game 1 of the Rockets series, JJ Redick announced that he expects the full roster to be available, barring Reaves and Luka Doncic. But while the former remains out of game action, there was a positive development as he returned to the hardwood.
“Every day Austin Reaves (oblique strain) seemingly does a little bit more at Lakers practice,” Michael J. Duarte of The California Post posted on X. “After shooting free throws and threes the last 2 days, he was doing some work in key today.”
Every day Austin Reaves (oblique strain) seemingly does a little bit more at Lakers practice. After shooting free throws and threes the last 2 days, he was doing some work in key today. pic.twitter.com/Tuk0OkYSL5
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 16, 2026
Round 1 of the playoffs goes on for at least two more weeks, and there is a chance that AR comes back to steady the ship. The 25-year-old guard is coming off a career-best season, averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 49% from the field and 36% from three-point range. Redick, though, appears to have found ways to limit the Rockets’ attack.
JJ Redick looks forward to his second playoff season
The head coach wants to be creative. “All options are on the table,” JJ Redick said about the tactical flexibility. LeBron James could be the primary ball handler, and Luke Kennard is also showing good form. Marcus Smart is back, which will be a bonus for the team to find the right pass. Redick even acknowledged that the Rockets are a very good rebounding team. In fact, LeBron James even warned his teammates about the same.
“Get your a– in there, box out, and rebound. Yeah, that’s it. Y’all go out there and do your job,” James said. Redick explained in detail about their practice sessions. “We spent Tuesday just getting in a great high-intensity practice, reinforcing our base stuff, whether that was on offense or defense,” he added. “The beautiful thing about the playoffs is your undivided attention goes to one team, and you can drill in on all the little minutiae and details that you need to.”
The Lakers’ head coach also emphasized that they don’t need to change their offensive identity. He acknowledged that Purple and Gold were the eighth-best half-court offense in the league without Luka and AR. So, without them, the Lakers have to be extra careful with their execution on the ball. “In the two games we had volume transition possessions against them, it was really good for our offense, and we won those two games. The game in Christmas, we had nine transition possessions,” the hopeful coach said of his roster.
Bronny James is ready for a major playoff run
“When you’re short-handed, he’s got to be ready,” JJ Redick said. “I think Bronny’s improved a lot, and I think we trust him.” The coach was happy to declare that LeBron’s son will be part of the playoff plans. Last year, the rookie played just four postseason minutes, but that is set to change. After all, the sophomore guard has impressed with his recent performances.
In 18 minutes off the bench against the Utah Jazz, he put up 11 points, one rebound, four assists, and one steal while shooting 57.1% from the field and going three-for-four from deep. In fact, he has connected on six of his last 10 three-pointers, showcasing confidence. If need be, Redick can surely rely on the 21-year-old.
The Lakers have no problem being the underdog
They were dominant in March with a 15-2 record. But since the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers are officially the underdogs now. On Monday, 12 ESPN writers selected their prediction picks, and all sided with the Rockets winning. So does this noise affect the team? Luke Kennard felt otherwise.
“Don’t feel much pressure going into this,” the Lakers star confidently said. “We still believe in what we have and who we’re going to start the series with. And I think everybody believes in that. Being maybe somewhat of an underdog with guys out, it kind of gives us this sense of freedom.”
With no pressure to perform and home-court advantage, the Lakers can cause an upset.
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Daniel D'Cruz