The injury absences of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will grab all the headlines for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they should. If the Lakers ever want to get to the point of seeing either of the two suit up again in 2025-26, they will need the help of the other man who has been absent and missed before those two even hit the shelf.
Marcus Smart has not played for the Lakers since the March 21 matchup against the Orlando Magic. It has been eight consecutive games missed for the veteran guard since appearing on the injury report with a right ankle contusion. That number is about to climb to nine.
There was some initial optimism Smart could suit up against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. The former Defensive Player of the Year was upgraded to questionable on the initial report released by the Lakers. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Smart has since been confirmed as out.
Seeing him return from injury as soon as possible would be what the Lakers and all of the fans are surely hoping for. While that will not be the case against the Warriors, the decision being left until hours were remaining in the lead-up to gametime suggests his availability is not too far away.
Marcus Smart's return can't come soon enough for the Lakers
Looking up and down the Lakers roster, Smart has an easy case for being the fourth best player on the team. At the very least, his importance to the functionality of the group falls into the top four without a doubt.
Smart's absence loomed large when the Oklahoma City Thunder beat down on the Lakers in their first of two meetings. Now, without Doncic and Reaves, Los Angeles needs their tenacious veteran back just to survive.
JJ Redick has called for players who will compete and play hard for the Lakers following the two major injuries to their stars. Smart is exactly the mold his head coach has been asking for.
The hope there would be that not only does the 32-year-old bring his own individual impact, but his levels of compete raise everyone around him. It is tough not to follow Smart's lead when it comes to the energy that is brought to the court.
On top of that, the Lakers are pretty desperate to add more playmaking and ball-handling beyond just LeBron James. Smart can be a touch erratic with his decision-making at times, but the help will be much larger than the hurt here.
The hope for the Lakers would be that Smart is back before the regular season is over to bring a jolt to a team who needs it. With only matchups against the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz left after the Warriors game, time is quickly ticking.