Marcus Smart is going to be more valuable than ever if, or when, the Los Angeles Lakers punch their ticket to the second round. With the Oklahoma City Thunder around the corner, Smart will need a little help from Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to have a crack at slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Naturally, the Lakers will need to take care of business first against the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles needs that all important fourth win to officially punch their ticket to a looming clash with the Thunder. Thankfully for them, history is on their side to do so.
No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. It is bound to happen eventually, but it is difficult to envision the Rockets as the team to do so. Their youth, inexperience, and questionable coaching does not scream history-makers.
After taking care of business in the first round, the Lakers will need to quickly shift their focus to the defending champs. When they do, one of the first tasks on the agenda has to be limiting Gilgeous-Alexander. Smart will be the man asked to lead the charge their. Accomplishing that feat will be next to impossible with Doncic and Reaves.
Marcus Smarts needs Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to lessen his offensive burden
Slowing down Gilgeous-Alexander is tough. The Phoenix Suns were a top-10 defensive unit in the regular season and the Thunder superstar just gave them the business in the first-round series between Oklahoma City and Phoenix.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.8 points and 8.0 assists per game, shooting 55.1 percent from the field against the Suns. All of that was done in only 35.7 minutes a night.
Smart has been an excellent defender all year, one that will welcome to gargantuan challenge of holding down Gilgeous-Alexander, but even he will need help. Mainly, the best thing the Lakers could do to support him is to limit what they are asking for on the offensive end.
In the first round, they have needed a lot from Smart due to the absences of Doncic and Reaves. The Lakers guard has answered the call. Once the second round arrives, the former Defensive Player of the Year must have the strong majority of his energy and effort be expended on locking up.
No one is expecting Smart to limit Gilgeous-Alexander to something far below his typical output with regularity. However, minimizing the damage done will be an important step in the Lakers giving themselves a fighting chance against the Thunder.
The first piece of good news for Smart's coming role and expectations are that Reaves is close to a return. AR has been a gametime decision for two contests in a row, and one would imagine Game 5 against the Rockets is finally the stage for his return.
Luka Doncic doing some controlled, light movement shooting after practice under the watchful eye of Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean pic.twitter.com/dofhMZaUdx
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 23, 2026
Doncic's timeline has far less clarity. It is clear that Luka is progressing. JJ Redick recently told Dave McMenamin the Lakers point guard has started movement on the court. However, the second-year coach offered no concrete expectation of when his franchise player returns.
Smart needs both guys back. Even in imperfect post-injury versions of themselves, Doncic and Reaves can still afford their defensive ace an opportunity to primarily serve as an extra offensive option, rather than a primary one.
Smart's duties should be finishing plays and chances created for him. Maybe the veteran guard sprinkles in a little bit of self-creation when necessary. If the Lakers want to give themselves a chance against the Thunder, he cannot be overburdened with heavy-lifting on both ends.
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