Trying to figure out just how good (or great) the Los Angeles Lakers are in 2025-26 has been difficult for one major reason — health. JJ Redick's team has not really gotten an extended look at how the team functions at full strength. Everyone knows it too.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James were both discussing this detrimental factor at NBA All-Star Weekend. James talked about not knowing how many games the Lakers had with a full roster this season, and how much that matters. Doncic did not hold back his excitement of having everyone playing together after the break.
The dream of having a clean bill of healthy is quickly becoming a reality. Redick offered an encouraging update about where his team was at following the All-Star break.
Mike Trudell reported: "JJ Redick, after LA’s first practice back on the court today, said it looks like the Lakers will have everybody back on the court for tomorrow night’s game, including Luka Doncic. Austin Reaves will also be off his minutes restriction."
Lakers' clean bill of health gives them the opportunity they've waited for
It's time the Lakers figure out who they really are. It's time for Los Angeles to get a proper sample size of how the pieces can all fit together.
The Lakers trio of Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves have only played 10 games together this season. It actually looks much worse when looking at the actual time they have shared on the court.
The three-man combination of Doncic, James, and Reaves has only gotten 152 minutes with each other. There is clearly work left to be done too in terms of figuring out how to best compliment them. The Lakers stars have a net rating of -9.6 in their shared playing time.
Granted, the most effective deployment of the trio may be to split them up and stagger minutes. At least, Doncic and James are probably best utilized that way. Reaves can serve as the bridge between the two most often.
However, even with that, there is going to be overlap between Doncic and James inevitably. When there is, Redick needs to have an idea of which supporting role players are best to have out there. These are the type of questions that hopefully get answered for the Lakers when a full crew is available.
Expecting things to always be as perfect as they are now, when it comes to the injury report, is wishful thinking at best. However, everyone in the Lakers building will undoubtedly be holding their breath for something pretty close to what they currently have.