The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to be one of the top teams in the West with all their stars healthy, but the fact that they are No. 2 with a 7-2 start despite having their top three players out injured is insane. It signals that the Lakers are once again ready to compete for the crown.
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LeBron James has not played a minute this season because of his sciatica issue. Luka Doncic has been dealing with a finger sprain and a leg contusion that kept him out for several games. Austin Reaves has been carrying the load on his own, but now the 27-year-old has been listed as out for tomorrow’s matchup against the Hawks.
This should not worry the Lakers fanbase or the organization because Head Coach J. J. Redick has been making it work. It is an impressive precedent, and one that makes you wonder how good the Lakers will be once James, Doncic, and Reaves are all logging consistent minutes.
“Luka out? Lakers still been winning early. LeBron’s out, they’re winning. Reaves, there by himself, they’re winning. It’s a different animal that the Lakers are sending to the rest of the league,” stated Johnson.
And the Lakers haven’t just been playing scrubs either. They just toppled the equally red-hot Spurs 118-116. The West will be a dog fight this year, and the Lakers are proving that they belong.
“It’s a different animal that the Lakers are sending to the rest of the league.”@JumpShot8 talks with @TermineRadio about L.A.’s success despite injuries to their starters. pic.twitter.com/cnbmRnINXo
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) November 7, 2025
As good as the Lakers have been, a big question looms over the franchise. Can they maintain this momentum? Eighty-two games is a long stretch, and with how fragile guys have become in this era, there’s no guarantee the Lakers will have the big three at 100 percent come postseason.
Johnson asked the same question. “It’s going to be interesting to see if they can maintain,” he added during his interview.
The good news for Lakers fans is that they still get to see LeBron’s season debut at some point, so if they do reach a low point, there’s that beacon of light to resurrect them.
One thing the Lakers cannot do is take their foot off the gas pedal. They play the Hawks and the Hornets next, but then they have a matchup against the first-place defending champs, the OKC Thunder. That game will truly test whether this team can rub shoulders with the big guns.
A win there would send a loud message to the rest of the league that this early success isn’t just a hot streak. It might be something real.
Still, there is good reason to believe in this squad because the system is working and the energy is there. Now it is just about holding that together and making sure that when the big-stage lights come on, they will be ready. And if this is what they look like while shorthanded, the rest of the NBA better hope they do not get fully healthy anytime soon.
