Not only are injuries quickly mounting for the Los Angeles Lakers, but there is a key trait emerging among those absentees that JJ Redick's team is desperately craving right now. That would be players who can run the offense with the ball in their hands.
LeBron James has been out for a while now due to his sciatica injury. Luka Doncic joined him on the injury report after two regular season games with a finger sprain and a leg contusion. Gabe Vincent soon followed, tweaking his ankle against the Sacramento Kings.
Redick's frustrations with the injuries finally boiled over after a tough 122-108 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers coach was asked about the difficulties in generating offense with the personnel depleted. There was an abrupt bluntness to his response.
"It's hard to run offense without ball handlers," Redick said plainly.
With Doncic being the closest to his return from injury of the group listed above, his skill set is desperately demanded on the Lakers right now. It's not only about the ball handling itself, but the capacity to which the superstar point guard can provide it.
Injuries have exposed just how badly Lakers need their offensive engine in Doncic
Vincent is not expected back for another two to four weeks due to his sprained left ankle, according to Dave McMenamin. The Lakers insider has also told everyone that James is eyeing mid-November for a return to the lineup.
Dave on Lebron:
"I'm told that we're still in the range of about 3 more weeks before he would be targeting a return sometime in mid-November. I have been told by multiple sources over the last several days that his rehab and all of the process to get back to that return date is… pic.twitter.com/J9sRAMu6qS
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) October 27, 2025
Doncic is the immediate fix to the Lakers' offensive problems. Luka can provide that on-ball leadership in spades, and Redick would certainly not be expected to deny him that much.
Critics of Doncic's game have often found issues with just how much the Lakers superstar has dominated the ball. The high usage percentages of Luka have been a point of contention for many who believe that style will never lead to a championship.
That last part is certainly up for debate, but what does not have any room for discussion is how much his brand of basketball would solve major issues for the Lakers in the present. Redick would probably be thankful to have someone who can carry an offense to the capacity of Luka right now.
Doncic has three regular seasons under his belt leading the NBA in usage percentage (2020-21, 2021-22, and 2023-24). The superstar point guard was averaging 38.5 percent in that category through his first two games of this campaign.
In doing so, Doncic amassed the highest offensive box plus/minus in the NBA with 13.8. Small sample size or not, that is what the Lakers need right now. They will be graciously thankful to have him back in the lineup when that day comes in the near future.