The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the post-LeBron James era with one player carrying more responsibility than ever. That makes Luka Doncic’s health a bigger concern than it was a year ago. Derek Fisher recently highlighted exactly that issue.
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The Purple and Gold legend believes Los Angeles can survive without LeBron, but the margin for error changes dramatically when Doncic is the player the entire team is built around.
“I don’t think there’s like a cliff that this team is going to fall off without LeBron,” Fisher said on 97.1 The Fan LA radio station. “What I was thinking through a little bit as you were breaking that down was Luka missed 18 games last season. Let’s cut that to 10 games this year. Is 72 games a fair number to say, which is a high number?”
Fisher then took the concern a step further. The question is not simply how many games Luka Doncic misses. It is how many of those games the Lakers can actually win.
“Your chances of winning are going to be significantly low,” Fisher said. “It increases the pressure to win the game the 70 games that he does play in. You have to win at a higher winning percentage to make up for the fact that in the 12 games that he doesn’t play.”
There is an important context behind that concern.
The Lakers were already transitioning toward a Doncic-centered identity last season. After acquiring him, Los Angeles increasingly leaned into his strengths as its offensive engine, while Austin Reaves also became a major part of the team’s attack. ESPN noted that the roles of Doncic, Reaves and LeBron had eventually found a balance, with the Lakers going 16-2 during the stretch from February 28 to April 1, 2026.
LeBron, meanwhile, had to adjust. He was no longer expected to carry the entire offense every night. But that did not make his presence any less valuable. The playoffs proved it.
Luka Doncic and Reaves were both unavailable at the start of the Lakers’ first-round series against Houston. LeBron stepped into the void and helped Los Angeles eliminate the Rockets in six games. JJ Redick specifically praised James for leading the Lakers into the second round despite the injuries around him. That is the safety net the Lakers no longer have.
LeBron had years of experience handling situations where another star was unavailable. He could control the tempo, create offense, make plays for teammates, and understand when the game demanded that he take over.
Now, if Luka Doncic goes down, that responsibility shifts elsewhere. Austin Reaves is the obvious candidate to shoulder more of the offensive load if he is healthy. But the Lakers also need Walker Kessler to become a major piece of their new identity after acquiring the young center to anchor the frontcourt.
It will surely be difficult to mimic what LeBron did. That does not mean Reaves or Kessler cannot handle increased responsibility. The Lakers will be asking players who have never had to replace LeBron’s all-around influence to help keep the team afloat without its primary star.
And that is why Luka Doncic’s health matters so much. Los Angeles has fully entered the Doncic era. The franchise is building its roster and identity around the 27-year-old superstar, while Reaves has emerged as his key backcourt running mate and Kessler will become an important part of the frontcourt.
The Lakers do not necessarily need Doncic to play all 82 games. But they need him available as often as possible. Because last season, when injuries threatened to derail their playoff run, LeBron could still step in and change the equation. This time, there is no 22x All-Star waiting in the wings.
For the Lakers, keeping Luka Doncic healthy has become about far more than simply having their best player on the floor. With LeBron James gone, every game Doncic misses puts more pressure on the rest of the roster to step up and keep the team on track.