Survive long enough to thrive — that was essentially the idea behind what JJ Redick thought his team needed to do without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The message to the media and the Los Angeles Lakers was simple. The Lakers just needed to give their stars a chance to return.
Redick said: "Both those guys are gonna try to come back. And it's our job to extend the season so that they can come back."
The first look on how feasible that was did not turn out all too promising. The Lakers matched up with the tanking Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. They ended up losing the ball game by a disappointing 134-128 final score.
LeBron James did the best that a 41-year-old version of himself could do to mitigate the two major absences. James finished with 30 points, nine rebounds, and 15 assists in the loss. Rui Hachimura poured in 21 points. Even Luke Kennard (15 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists) recorded his first career triple-double. None of that proved to be enough and that should raise some early concerns.
Lakers surviving until Doncic and Reaves return immediately raises concern
Both Doncic and Reaves got an injury diagnosis that makes a comeback something that is far from immediate.
Luka has a Grade 2 hamstring strain. That is an ailment that medical expert Jeff Stotts has stated can keep a player out for an average time of 35 days or 14.7 games.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Reaves also falls into the Grade 2 category with his oblique strain. Stotts mentioned that average time lost for nondescript injuries of this nature is 16.7 days. High grade ones can have an average time lost of nine weeks.
The short version of everything being said is that Doncic and Reaves are not on a bullet train back to the team. Their injuries will take time to heal, making that element not something that is on the Lakers' side.
The likely reality here is that if the Lakers want to see Doncic or Reaves back on the court, they will at least need to win one series without them. Their first-round matchup should not account for either of the two stars being in the lineup.
Sunday's loss certainly does not paint the picture of a team who can win without both of those players. Granted, it was their first game missing the pair and there is still a lot left to figure out here.
"In terms of just the rotation, just trying to find just nine guys that can go out there and help us compete," Redick said after the loss.
With only four games remaining in the regular season, Redick will need to figure out who those players are pretty quickly. Otherwise, staying afloat long enough to get Doncic and Reaves back is wishful thinking, at best.