Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any worse for the Los Angeles Lakers, they did. They are 1-1 in the opening week, and with LeBron James already sidelined by a sciatica injury and aiming for a mid-November return, the team was counting on Luka Doncic to carry the load. Unfortunately, that plan has hit a snag, as Doncic is also headed to the injury list. According to Shams Charania, the Lakers star will miss tonight’s game against the Kings, but doubt over his return looms.

The 26-year-old battled through the pain in Friday’s win over the Timberwolves, still erupting for nearly 50 points before the injuries caught up to him. The Lakers star is out with a left finger sprain and a lower leg contusion for at least a week. Austin Reaves is expected to assume primary on-ball duties, with Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia likely seeing expanded minutes and potential starting roles to cover Luka Doncic’s absence in the Lakers’ lineup. 

So the Lakers’ lineup against the Sacramento Kings will probably look something like Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and DeAndre Ayton. With Reaves moving to the point, he will have even more responsibility than he has had so far. The guard has started the NBA season averaging 25.5 points, 10.0 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game, shooting 58.1% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc.

Reaves has been an able supporter of Doncic, but the question remains if he can anchor this Lakers offense all alone. So, in the current scenario, Dalton Knecht, who would not be a part of the regular rotation, gets an opportunity to prove himself. Knecht has played only 7 minutes so far this season after the Lakers exercised their third-year contract option of $4.2 million for 2026-27. Last season, they tried to trade him to the Hornets for Mark Williams, but the move did not pan out.

In the backdrop of that failed trade deal, this extension came as a surprise. By the playoffs last season, Knecht had fallen off the cliff in the pecking order of JJ Redick, but desperate times might just give him a way back. DeAndre Ayton was already impressing Redick by being an effective screen and roll partner in the opening games. He will have a task cut out to make an impact with Doncic out. But did it have to come to this? The current situation brings out an unfortunate truth for the Lakers fans. 

Luka Doncic injury highlights a major management flaw

The Lakers weren’t a particularly deep roster to begin with, and that has been immediately tested early in the season. Their two best players in Luka Doncic and LeBron James, are nursing injuries, and Maxi Kleber remains out for at least another week due to an oblique strain. But none of this should have been unexpected for the Lakers’ front office. 

James is touching 41, being the oldest player in the league by a mile. Yes, he has shown himself to defy the odds multiple times before, but Father Time catches up to even King James. The roster construction of the Lakers placed a heavy load on LeBron while pegging their team’s success to his fitness. Luka was supposed to be the second cog of that wheel, but even he has been injury-prone throughout his career so far, a reason Nico Harrison’s Dallas placed while booking his LA tickets. 

There haven’t been any career-altering injuries for Luka. He’s never played under 60 games or under 65 in a full season. But he’s also played over 70 games only once, his rookie year, meaning he’s had a tendency for minor injuries over the years. This recent injury seems like an outlier to others, something they can shrug off, but Doncic has made such injuries a habit. The even more concerning part is the variety of injuries. Doncic has injured his hip, ankle, and knees.

L.A. added DeAndre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia in free agency, re-signed Jaxson Hayes, and acquired No. 36 pick Adou Thiero via draft-day trade, complementing the Luka Dončić-led core. While Ayton projects as the most reliable additional scorer among the newcomers, Smart’s value centers on point-of-attack defense and playmaking intangibles, and LaRavia profiles as a floor-spacing, connective wing rather than a primary scorer.

You have 1 star on the brink of retirement, and the other tends to miss games. How does the LA Lakers‘ management plan to get James his last NBA title? It’s an obvious flaw evident even before this season began, but Luka gave an example of just how bad things might be for the Lakers.