The Los Angeles Lakers are 11-2 and sit first atop the Western Conference standings. While recent injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves aren’t great, the team has been playing arguably the best basketball in the NBA.
Doncic’s injury isn’t expected to result in a ton, or any, missed time. Reaves, on the other hand, has an uncertain status going forward for Los Angeles. However, while the two main stars are currently dealing with health concerns, things are going well in Laker Land. Though there were questions heading into the season about the new supporting cast and the huge Walker Kessler trade, it’s hard to critique anything the team has done so far.
The Lakers were expected to win roughly 44-48 games this year, and through the first three weeks of the season, it might be fair to say the Purple and Gold are easily set to outpace that figure, even with the questionable injury status of the team’s two leading scorers over the next few games.
Lakers Announce Strong Stats To Begin Season
In a post on X after the team’s latest win against the Milwaukee Bucks to improve to 11-2, the Lakers announced five areas of the NBA in which the Purple and Gold have been the best at to start the season.
“Through 13 games, the Lakers lead the league in: • Scoring: 122.2 points per game • Offensive rating: 121.6 • Field goal percentage: 50.3% • Steals: 11 per game • Points off turnovers: 24.5 per game,” the team announced on social media.
Along with having the best record in the NBA, the Lakers’ offense has been on fire.
Much of that has been due to Doncic’s league-leading 38.6 points per game, but everyone on the team has been scoring at a strong pace. Reaves is scoring a career-high 24.7 points per game, Kessler has been extremely efficient, and nearly everyone coming off the bench is putting the ball in the hoop at a high rate. Six players on the team are scoring at least ten points per game. Another six are shooting above 50% from the field, while six are also making three-pointers at more than a 40% clip, well above the NBA’s average.
All of that has led the Lakers to be the league’s best offense through the first three weeks of the year. The steals and points off turnovers numbers are a plus, as while Los Angeles ranks 17th in defensive rating, it’s an improvement from the first few games of the season, and the group certainly hasn’t been the pushovers many were expecting over the offseason.
The Lakers are arguably one of the most surprising teams in basketball to start the year. Things could change if Doncic and Reaves are out for an extended period, but according to recent updates, it doesn’t look like that will be the case.
Additionally, keeping up these numbers will be tough, but at least getting to those heights this early in the season should be good news for a team that had major question marks surrounding it over the summer.
Luka Doncic And Austin Reaves Injury Updates
Both Doncic and Reaves went down in the Lakers’ latest win over the Bucks. The Slovenian suffered a minor ankle injury, while the former undrafted star shooting guard left with a heel injury.
As for Doncic, both he and head coach JJ Redick said he’d be fine, and per ESPN’s Shams Charania, it doesn’t look like the Lakers point guard will miss much, or any time, with the injury.
“I think [Doncic] is fine,” Redick said. “Just a light tweak.”
“Obviously, it’s painful a bit, but I’ll be fine,” Doncic told reporters after the game.
As for Reaves, his injury might be a bit more serious. The Lakers aren’t expecting it to be an Achilles issue, as early X-rays came back negative, but the team is still waiting on an official diagnosis for the player.
“No update on AR until we’ll have imaging tomorrow,” Redick said, per ESPN.
The Lakers don’t play next until Sunday, so the team likely won’t announce an injury report or official update on either for a bit. Until Los Angeles reveals any injury designation on Doncic or Reaves, it looks like the team avoided disaster.
Overall, it’s been a dream start for the Purple and Gold, and the numbers back that up.
Lakers Announce Positive News Amid Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves Injuries