The Los Angeles Lakers had an impressive 2025-26 season, which was mostly due to their trio of star players. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves all had superb seasons, but they were not complete in the Playoffs.
Reaves had to join midway through the first-round series against the Houston Rockets, while Doncic completely missed the Playoffs. Head coach JJ Redick would have loved it if they were healthy because they had a limitless ceiling.
JJ Redick feels they lost their potential due to the injury crisis
The defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, dominantly ended the Lakers' season. Playing against the Thunder is always challenging, but they could have been a better matchup had Doncic been healthy.
Unfortunately, the Lakers had to compete without their star trio. Reaves was still not at 100%, so the Lakers were truly struggling against the defending champions. Redick felt the same way, as he knew they could have competed better.
MORE:Luka Doncic admits he wanted to help the Lakers, but he could not due to his injury
It is tough to stomach an elimination in the Playoffs. Redick did his best to set his team up for success. He had impressive defensive schemes, unique offensive sets, and many more. However, they were not enough to get a single win against the Thunder.
"I wish we had more time with those guys all in the lineup. We were just beginning to see what that could look like when Luka and AR got hurt," Redick said a day after the Lakers got eliminated.
"I think we all felt that excitement and that belief that we were beginning to be a championship-level team and would have loved to have seen that group that was finishing the regular season be able to play healthy in the Playoffs."
It is a bitter pill for the Lakers, but they have to do well in the offseason. They could make some major changes so they can truly compete in the postseason. It will be challenging, but the Lakers have the capacity to do so by making the best major decisions.
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