Being without a superstar of the Luka Doncic's caliber requires those behind him to step up. The Los Angeles Lakers have enjoyed increased efforts from the likes of Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura. However, the bench remains a black hole for offensive production.
The issue was on full display in the disappointing 108-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1. Despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having a tough individual game, his supporting cast aided him properly. That included a combined 34 points from the second unit.
By contrast, the Lakers bench was nowhere near as successful. Los Angeles only got 15 points from their second unit. No one made more than a single field goal as an individual. Luke Kennard ultimately accounted for nearly half of those 15 , too, with seven points on his own.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, this is nothing new. Their second unit has long been one of the most lackluster in the league when it comes to bench scoring. If they want to improve their long-shot chances against the Thunder, Los Angeles will need more reliable production from the reserves.
Lakers desperately need bench scoring to keep up with the Thunder
The Lakers got a massive break in the first round with the Houston Rockets. They played the only team who had worse second-unit scoring than they did in 2025-26. The Rockets ranked 30th with just 27.6 points from their bench. The Lakers got 29.3 from their guys, ranking 29th.
This Lakers issue has not been exclusive to this season. In 2024-25, they were also 29th in the NBA with just 26.2 points per game from their bench. Only the New York Knicks (21.7), with Tom Thibodeau's starter-heavy approach, were worse.
In 2023-24, the Lakers were 28th, which is a slight improvement. They had 28.4 points per game from their bench guys.
2022-23 was the most recent example of Los Angeles actually having a strong second unit. Those players ranked fourth in the NBA with 39.7 points a night in relief of their starters. That success translated to the postseason, where the Lakers ranked fifth among playoff teams and made a run to the Western Conference Finals.
The point is that building out a team with a wide array of depth and offensive options matters. That is especially true when facing a matchup at the Thunder's level.
Oklahoma City was top-10 in the category during the regular season, and has jumped up to third among playoff teams. They have so many players that can beat you, and they have largely built that through careful years of good drafting.
If the Lakers want to give themselves a fighting chance against the Thunder, they need to hold their ground in the non-LeBron James minutes. That means guys like Austin Reaves stepping up from a slow start since his return, but that also means having players sub in and deliver buckets too.
Without having that element, the Lakers will hear the Thunder dusting off the brooms in the background. When Doncic was around, the Slovenian superstar used to cover up a lot of these issues. The Lakers simply do not have that luxury right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google