Down 0-2, Lakers In Serious Trouble Without Luka Doncic - Anubis Sports

With one game of the Western Conference Semifinals in the books, it’s become crystal clear the Los Angeles Lakers need Luka Doncic. In a tough matchup against the league’s juggernaut, Oklahoma City Thunder, the lack of depth within the roster has plagued the Lakers. Doncic continues to be out indefinitely and is forced to watch things unfold from the sideline. Getting right back into the swing of things with game two on Thursday, slowing the game down will work as an advantage in a must-win.

Lakers Need Doncic To Beat OKC

The Lakers are not effective when it counts without their superstar for the future. Although they were able to welcome back Austin Reaves from injury , he’s just not a 37-points-per-game player. If there’s one player who can semi-fill the void needed, It’s a 41-year-old LeBron James who is on his last lap around the league. Still leading the charge as a facilitator, he’s suddenly next in line to become the main scorer. An element of his game he’s been able to showcase before, but at this stage, its not his strong suit. Another disadvantage Los Angeles faces is their lack of bench depth, sometimes leaving many with did not play designations.

The Lakers have yet to see the veteran from Slovenia in the playoffs. As a result, they are already facing trouble and trending in a bad direction. Without the proper assistance coming from the bench when needed, it seems almost impossible for an upset. Things don’t get better with Head Coach JJ Redick deciding to keep players from seeing action, limiting rotation. Losing a player like Doncic requires adjustments, and that’s something this team will have trouble executing against an opponent of this caliber.

On the other side stands a team in Oklahoma looking to go back-to-back, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Someone who can be described as a game-changer and immediate impact player on both sides of the ball. His only competitive matchup on the court is James, SGA wins that race through four quarters. When it comes down to it, the Lakers are in the hot seat with no immediate answers to be had. Its simple to move players around to different spots, but they need to produce.

Knocking Off The Top Dog

Already down one game in this series to OKC with another to play on the road, equals a recipe for disaster. An underperfoming Reeves is battling injury, and James simply cannot do it all. The addition of Doncic would be series-changing, making the playing field a bit more even for Los Angeles. Coming into play classified as underdogs, the Lakers have a chance to knock off the top dogs. It’ll be an uphill battle to say the least, but not one James hasn’t already climbed within his own personal playoff runs

Lakers are leaning heavily on Lebron, but might not have the muscle needed to dethrone SGA, and the reigning NBA champs. — Lakers’ Lebron James battles Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA)

The Lakers will go into game two without their leading scorer, prompting a much different expected game-plan rather than with their number one. Securing more production from the bench is a start, while also limiting easy baskets in the paint for the Thunder. This series has already been predicted to be a sweep, and a game two loss will push that closer.