Last week, I described the state of the Lakers as happiness. Now, all that remains is despair.
That’s what happens when two star players go down in the same game and are out for the rest of the regular season and beyond.
Earlier this year, during a bump in the road that is the NBA season, Lakers head coach JJ Redick referenced Jay-Z’s song “A Week Ago,” describing how things can go from good to bad in a flash.
Well, this is a much worse situation, and when I think about the fact that all of us are stuck
watching a team that can’t win games, the ending of the book “The Great Gatsby” comes to mind.
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine mornin—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
5 things I liked and didn’t like
1. Injuries stink
To win an NBA title, you need a combination of skill and luck. The Lakers had the talent to compete in the West, but the injuries have gotten the better of them.
Watching Dončić and Reaves go down while the Lakers were getting blown out by the Thunder killed all hope one could have of a successful season. It’s one thing to lose against the best teams in the NBA. But to not get a chance to compete with anywhere close to your full roster is quite another.
Basketball, like life, can be painful, cruel and unfair. The breaks didn’t go the Lakers’ way, and that’s just the way the 2025-26 season went down.
2. The Thunder are levels better than the Lakers
Okay, but also, did you see the Lakers-Thunder matchup?
OKC was miles ahead of the Lakers. Austin Reaves couldn’t get a pass through the Thunder defenders, and when he did, Deandre Ayton couldn’t catch the ball. Their defense shut down the Lakers’ offense immediately, and the game was over within minutes.
The Lakers couldn’t even get a shot off, and when they did, it was a brick. It’s just one game, but there was a statement to be made and OKC made it.
For me, I take solace in knowing that even if they were healthy, the best-case scenario for LA was making it far enough to get obliterated by OKC.
3. Will Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves be smart enough not to rush back?
Reaves and Dončić are done for the regular season, but the playoffs are up in the air. Being the competitors they are, it’s no surprise they are doing everything to return and not let all their work go to waste this year.
In fact, Luka has gone to Spain for specialized treatment for his hamstring strain in hopes of expediting the process. While his desire to play and do everything possible to return is admirable, he has to be careful that he doesn’t push beyond what is okay.
As a Chicago Bulls fan once told me, it can always get worse.
This feels like the bottom, but if Luka rushes back, injures his hamstring again, makes it a longer-term injury, and the Lakers still get blown out of the playoffs, that would be a far worse scenario than where they are now.
If his treatment helps him return sooner and he’s healthy, great. But if coming back risks further injury, cooler heads have to prevail over competitive fire.
4. JJ Redick needs to calm down
Speaking of cooler heads prevailing, can Redick tone it down a bit during games? We’ve seen him get into arguments with his stars, like Luka, and during the team’s other loss to the Thunder this week, there he was, arguing with Jarred Vanderbilt.
Vando usually has a very calm demeanor, but he was anything but that during a verbal back-and-forth with Redick.
Redick can be a demanding coach, and there is nothing wrong with that. Still, there has to be a moment where things get reigned in a bit.
In that game, the Lakers had four starters missing, and they needed Vando to have even a glimmer of hope of winning. Instead, he didn’t play the rest of the night after this.
I’m not saying they would’ve won if he’d played, but I am saying they were a worse team with him sitting out on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Redick wasn’t just critical of Vando. He also called an early timeout because Rui Hachimura wasn’t doing his job and mentioned postgame that Ayton can’t catch the ball right now.
These are intense times and Redick wants the same success for the Lakers that everyone wants. That’s fine and he’s in charge so it goes his way. But I think finding a way to send the right message without a public spat would benefit all involved.
5. The Marathon Continues
The late, great rapper Nipsey Hussle had a mixtape titled “The Marathon Continues.” The premise was that, despite the ups and downs, life goes on, and we have to keep grinding for the better. That’s what the Lakers have to do at this point in the season.
It feels hopeless right now, but that’s not the case. The players left have to believe they can win enough to extend the season so that Dončić and Reaves can return for the most important games.
There are just a few games left, but they have to spend what’s remaining of the regular season preparing for the playoffs and finding a way to win. That’s a tall task, but it’s the job in front of them. Here’s hoping they find a way to shock us all.
Stat of the Week
One bright spot this week was that having players out meant others got a chance.
Against the Thunder, Adou Theiro logged a career-high 21 minutes. Hopefully, he can play a bit in the remaining games and show off his explosive athleticism.
The present feels dark, but the future can be bright with players like Thiero. If he shows more flashes that he is a player who can grow in LA, just like Austin Reaves and Max Christie, then that’s something good that can happen this month.
Play of the Week
Thiero gave the Lakers one of the few highlights of the week with one of his power dunks. It started with Drew Timme getting the ball on the inbound from Bronny James. He got doubled, which left Thiero wide open on the opposite side. Thiero cut to the basket, and Timme found him open near the rim.
Cason Wallace recovered well, but Thiero was too quick and athletic. He double-pumped the ball, which got Wallace out of the play and slammed it home.
Player of the Week
With players getting hurt and nothing but losses, finding a Player of the Week was tough.
In the end, I went with LeBron James. He averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists, leading the team in all three categories. He was brilliant against the Mavericks and while it didn’t lead to a win, he needs to play at that level if the Lakers are going to salvage anything from this season.
Stories of the Week
The Thunder have the Lakers’ kryptonite – Silver Screen And Roll
Raj Chipalu broke down the Lakers’ crushing defeat with some in-depth film breakdown and an honest assessment of the gap between LA and OKC.
Increased defensive pressure is intended to rush and rattle the opponent. The Lakers have been completely out of their element in all three matchups and have trailed by over 30 points at halftime in both games in Oklahoma City. The Thunder cruised to a 45-point victory while LA failed to reach 100 points for the first time since February.
While the Lakers were likely never touching OKC’s ceiling this year, the run in March raised questions about just how high the mountain is. The Thunder quickly ended any hopes of a climb as they now sit comfortably at the top, firmly holding the Lakers’ kryptonite.
NBA’s widespread tanking has come at a significant cost for the entire league – The Athletic
It’s clear that tanking has become a big problem in the NBA and John Hollinger wrote about why it’s even worse than you think.
Overall, the eight tanking teams are 17-144 against the 20 legit squads since the trade deadline, a 0.106 winning percentage. To put this achievement into perspective, considering that the Chicago Bulls alone won 18 games against the postseason-20 before the trade deadline.
Wait, it gets worse: The tankers haven’t exactly been taking their opponents to the wire, either. Our Notorious Nine have lost by an average margin of 13.9 points since the All-Star break. The Utah Jazz alone lost games by 35 and 34 this weekend.
Let me underline this for emphasis: The average team in this group, when faced with any type of real basketball game, is playing as bad as the worst team in history (the 7-59 Charlotte Bobcats during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season), posting a despicable .106 winning percentage that equates to an 8.7-win season over 82 games, with nearly the worst scoring margin in NBA history.
And this isn’t one team doing this. It’s nine of them.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
