The Los Angeles Lakers are listing Luka Doncic (personal) and Marcus Smart (lower back injury management) as out for the team’s contest against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.
It remains to be seen how long Doncic will be out, but multiple reports have indicated he traveled back to Slovenia for the birth of his second child. In the meantime, Austin Reaves and LeBron James will need to pick up the slack in his absence.
For Smart, this will now be his fourth straight game missed due to the back injury. He has been an important piece of the Lakers success so far this season, averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 assists and a team-high 1.8 steals. But more important is the energy he brings when he is on the court, causing chaos and shifting momentum from the very moment he steps on the floor.
Back injuries are always very difficult to deal with and the Lakers know this all too well as James missed the start of the season due to sciatica. They certainly don’t want to lose Smart for an extended period so they will be extremely cautious with him already having undergone an MRI to determine the severity of the issue.
This game against the Raptors is also the first night of a back-to-back for the Lakers and the start of a three-game East Coast road trip. They will travel to Boston to face the Celtics on Friday and then have a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, so this schedule could also play a role in how they handle Smart returning.
In Smart’s absence, the Lakers have turned to Dalton Knecht, who helps the team offensively but still struggles on defense. It is possible Redick could turn to someone like Jarred Vanderbilt as well as he would help replace the scrappiness and defensive intensity the Lakers are missing with Smart out.
The rest of the Lakers’ injury report is clear, though James has spoken about continuing to deal with the foot issue that has been bothering him for the past couple of seasons. Even still, he is set to be available as the Lakers kick off their toughest stretch of the regular season so far.
Rob Pelinka discusses Marcus Smart’s importance to the Lakers
When Marcus Smart was bought out this past offseason, the Lakers moved quickly to sign him to a two-year deal as they felt he would bring a toughness and energy that the team needed. And his impact overall has been a positive one.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka recently spoke on this, mentioning not only what he brings to the Lakers during games, but also his leadership, communication and ability to push his teammates on a daily basis in practice.
“We see today’s NBA game is a highly physical game so you need those physical, scrappy defenders. But what our fans don’t know about Marcus Smart is how he elevates practice everyday,” Pelinka said in an interview with Spectrum SportsNet. “He is getting after guys, he is elevating things. The level of competition, his voice in the locker room, he’s been really, really, really integral to our success.”
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