The Los Angeles Lakers are riding high after two wins over the Houston Rockets to start the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Losing a pair of stars to same-day injuries a few weeks ago dampened the hope on this Lakers season, but here the team is winning when it matters most behind key contributions of two unassuming names.
LeBron James has been the LeBron James of old, but the play of guards Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart have been flattering in Games 1 and 2 against the Rockets.
Squint enough and it might be easy to mistake Kennard for Luka Doncic and Smart for Austin Reaves. We’ll call them Luka and AR lite.
It’s safe to say the Lakers would not be up 2-0 over the Rockets without Kennard and Smart playing perhaps the best basketball of their lives. Both players are seasoned veterans and have been on the postseason stage before, but they are seemingly playing with a new pep in their step as the Lakers look ahead to Game 3 in Houston.
Can Both Los Angeles Lakers Risers Continue to Shine?
In Game 1, it was Kennard’s 27 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the 3-point line. He was the first Laker since Robert Horry in the late 1990s to not miss from the 3-point line in a playoff game.
He did that.
In Game 2, it was Smart’s 25 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the 3-point line. He also dove for loose balls and snapped back into his 2022 defensive arc like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
He did that.
There’s no denying the Lakers have benefited tremendously from these two guards playing with outstanding confidence in the first two games of the series. But of course, it is easier to do that at home with the crowd cheering your every make and empathize with your every miss.
The Lakers are bound for Houston, where the Rockets are by no means unbeatable but still formidable. The Rockets are going to play with some desperation. After all, they are down 0-2 and have no other choice.
If L.A. gets the same versions of Kennard and Smart from the first two games in Game 3, Houston may be soon packing for an early playoff exit.
And if L.A. continues to see Kennard and Smart rise above expectations, it’ll not only go further in the playoffs but have some pressing decisions to make in the offseason.
GettyEL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 25: General Manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
A Crucial Offseason on the Way
Whether this Lakers season ends in round one or later, there is no doubt general manager Rob Pelinka will have some conversations to address this summer.
Kennard and Smart have already proven themselves as valuable playmakers for the Lakers, but both are in line for a bigger payday in July.
Kennard is an unrestricted free agent, while Smart has a roughly $5 million player-option for the upcoming 2026-27 season, which he’ll likely decline. That’ll mean decision time for L.A.
In a recent YouTube video, Trevor Lane of “Lakers Nation” broke down the likely path L.A. will take with both guards this offseason.
“It would be a huge win for the Lakers this summer if Marcus Smart were to pick up that player-option. Unfortunately, if I were his agent, I’d be telling him there’s no way in hell you’re picking up that player-option,” Lane said. “… He probably opts out.”
Said Lane on Kennard: “The challenge is it’s a one-year deal … there’s no Bird rights with this. The Lakers do not have Luke Kennard’s Bird rights.
Added Lane: “Luke Kennard on a one-year deal means what the Lakers have access to is something called non Bird rights. And what that gives the Lakers the ability to do is take that $11 million and sign Luke Kennard over the cap to a raise of no more than 120% of what he’s making right now.”
Other notable upcoming unrestricted free agents on the Lakers are James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes. Rumors have suggested the Lakers have interest in retaining all three. Then there is the Austin Reaves situation that may be addressed this summer as well.
Reaves, 27, is under contract for next season but is an unrestricted free agent in the following summer.
For now, L.A. is laser-focused on making a miraculous run to the second round of the playoffs as Doncic and Reaves continue to work their way back from injury.
Lakers Get Key Free Agency Update on Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart Amid Playoffs