The Los Angeles Lakers had a big decision to make for Sunday’s starting lineup after Luka Doncic was ruled out. Lowe back tightness caused the Lakers to sit out Doncic against the Detroit Pistons in a noteworthy game for Sunday’s NBA schedule. The early MVP favorite has been putting up incredible stats to average 40 points, but he will miss his second game of the season.
The Lakers revealed the following starting lineup with Quentin Grimes replacing Luka:
PG: Austin Reaves
SG: Quentin Grimes
SF: Matisse Thybulle
PF: Jake LaRavia
The other four starters are the usual names who have started the past four games with Doncic on the court. However, everyone will have more pressure with 40 points per game missing from the lineup. The Lakers selected Grimes over more traditional point guard Collin Sexton to take Doncic’s spot.
Head coach JJ Redick went with the more proven talent of Grimes and decided to place Reaves at point guard. The Lakers need a star performance from Reaves to have any shot against the 6-2 Pistons led by Cade Cunningham. Some other changes could be made with bench guards getting more minutes to make up for Luka’s absence.
Will Bronny James Get Playing Time?
The Lakers recalled Bronny James and rookie Cameron Carr from the G-League yesterday to improve the roster depth ahead of the road trip. Doncic missing tonight’s game will give them both a chance to play, along with Sexton getting more minutes off the bench.
Bronny was sent back to the G-League after a rough start to the season with minimal playing time to improve. The Lakers will likely try to give him some playing time with Luka out to provide some opportunity to prove himself. A close game could see Redick limiting Bronny and having forward Ziaire Williams playing some guard minutes.
Regardless, Bronny fans should be excited about him having a chance to play since NBA minutes are most important for his future. The NBA future of Bronny is not certain with LeBron James no longer on his team. Every game does matter for a young guard fighting for NBA minutes.
When Will Luka Doncic Return For Lakers?
The biggest question involves the next game and whether Doncic will miss more time. A back-to-back could see the Lakers being cautious tonight and playing Luka tomorrow for their next road game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Lakers had Doncic back after one game last time, but that was more for resting purposes. Luka is dealing with soreness and could need a couple more games off to get past that issue. Regardless, the injury is not expected to be a lingering issue like with other stars across the league.
Names like Anthony Edwards, Jalen Williams, and other stars are missing notable time to drastically change things for their teams. Lakers fans can rest easy knowing that Doncic should be back in the next few games as a worst-case realistic scenario. No player has been more locked in than Luka, and the Lakers roster needs him to compete in the West.
Lakers Starting Lineup Revealed Without Injured Luka Doncic