The Los Angeles Lakers are officially down to bare bones.
The Lakers announced on Sunday that star Luka Doncic is set to miss at least one week due to a left finger sprain as well as a left lower leg contusion. Doncic was originally listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings with the finger issue, and now a leg issue appears to have sprung up beyond that as well.
Doncic has been the undisputed centerpiece for the Lakers so far this season, averaging a monstrous 46.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game through the first two contests. But this news means that the 26-year-old superstar is now set to miss at least the next five games for the Lakers and possibly more.
That is definitely bad news for the Lakers, who sit at 1-1 in the early going. Fellow star LeBron James is currently in the midst of an absence as well due to a sciatica problem and is not expected to play until at least mid-November (or possibly even beyond that).
With both Doncic and James now sidelined, Austin Reaves will now have to step up as the No. 1 offensive option for the team. While Reaves has had a strong start himself with 25.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 10.0 assists per game, the Lakers may struggle mightily to find consistent shot creation beyond that.
As for Doncic, injuries were already a problem for him last season as he appeared in just 50 total games, mainly due to a calf strain. While he made a very well-publicized effort to get himself into peak athletic condition this summer (dropping a significant number of pounds), the injury bug has now struck again for Doncic.
