The Los Angeles Lakers have already received confirmation of how desperately they need to improve the second unit. In each of the games on the opening day of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, teams turned to their reserves for critical contributions in the pursuit of victory.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have spent the 2025-26 season overburdening their starters and have thus created an uphill battle in the playoffs.
Los Angeles has a top-tier trio of stars in Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. With Doncic and Reaves sidelined by injuries, however, a glaring lack of depth has become impossible to ignore—if it were ever possible to begin with.
The Lakers will now look to overcome their absences by effectively asking supporting players to perform above the levels they were asked to during the regular season.
That’s made even more alarming by the fact that the Lakers ranked No. 29 in bench points per game in 2025-26. Unfortunately, it was hardly a new development when one considers that Los Angeles finished at No. 29 in the same statistic in 2024-25.
If the playoffs have proven anything, it’s that the Lakers desperately need to resolve their most pressing long-term issue during the 2026 offseason.
Lakers desperately need to improve second unit during offseason
Los Angeles has talent along the second unit, but it’s proven challenging to put the pieces together. That’s become an even more dire issue considering Doncic and Reaves missing time entails having to not only elevate reserves, but replace those who are already minimally featured.
That's an exceedingly tall task for any team to manage, let alone one that hasn't exactly prioritized its depth in the first place.
With this in mind, Los Angeles needs to invest considerable resources in creating the necessary depth to compete at the highest level. The stars are clearly capable of extraordinary feats, but there's a thin line between benefiting from them and relying on them.
The Denver Nuggets showed as much during its 116-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1, with Bruce Brown stepping up with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, and five steals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, won Game 1 with backup wing Max Strus pouring in 24 points in 24 minutes. It's the beginning of what has become a non-negotiable in the NBA world: Teams will always need to rely on unsung heroes come the postseason.
If the Lakers hope to compete with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, then they'll need to invest in talent that can help it do the same.
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