The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a flying start despite not yet having a full squad. Particularly, the Lakers’ backcourt has been shorthanded lately. When will the Lakers be fully healthy?

Lakers Expect 2 Of Their Injured Guards To Return Soon, Will They Play Against Charlotte?

LA is off to a 7-3 start to the season and sits fourth in the Western Conference despite seeing its five-game winning streak snapped by Atlanta last night, 122-102. It was the Lakers, who were without Gabe Vincent, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, who suffered their worst loss of the season, trailing by as many as 30. All three of the Lakers’ losses have been by double-digits.

With the Lakers down big, JJ Redick only ran his starters out on the court for over 20 minutes, and none of his first unit played for 30 minutes. Still, Luka Doncic led the way against the Hawks with 22 points and 11 assists to give him his sixth double-double in six contests. Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt hauled in the second-most rebounds in his career with 18 and added 12 points for his first double-double of the season, while Dalton Knecht contributed 14 points off the bench.

The Lakers have lost 49 player games to injury thus far. James and rookie Adou Thiero have missed all 10 games. Maxi Kleber saw his first action as a Laker since coming over from Dallas at last year’s trade deadline. Doncic has missed four contests, and Reeves has sat out the previous three.

How have the Lakers Thrived With All The Injuries?

Not only do the Lakers have a .700 record without LeBron, but they are also 3-1 when Doncic sits and 2-1 in Reeves’ absence. What is more amazing is that the Lakers won the lone contest that Doncic and Reeves, who account for 57.8% of the team’s scoring, played in.  Reeves has become a legitimate star, and DeAndre Ayton, along with Jake LaRavia, have been outstanding in the early going. Plus, they have gotten unexpected contributions from Nick Smith Jr. and Bronny James.

Despite being in the middle of the pack in both scoring and scoring defense, the Lakers are 10th in offensive efficiency, as they lead the league with a 51.3% shooting percentage and draw to the foul line frequently. The Lakers do not shoot it well from deep and turn the ball over often, but they are decent on the boards. However, they do a decent job on the backboards, don’t foul much, and force turnovers.

When Will The Lakers’ Injured Players Return?

Los Angeles is in the second leg of a five-game road trip. The Lakers are in Charlotte on Monday and Oklahoma City on Wednesday. They will return home after playing back-to-backs in New Orleans and Milwaukee over the weekend.

The Lakers have four players listed on their injury report heading into Charlotte.  There is good news as Reeves (groin strain) has been upgraded to questionable, according to The Athletic’s Law Murray. While there is no guarantee that the 27-year-old will suit up against the Hornets, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday that Reeves is expected to be on the floor before the Lakers head back to Los Angeles.

“Imaging revealed a mild strain in Reaves’ right groin, coach JJ Redick said Saturday, but the guard’s pain is “really low,” and the team continues to hold him out as a precaution,” Nguyen wrote. “Reaves is with the team on the road — and has a golf outing planned with James and Redick for an upcoming off day — and could return during the trip.”

If Reeves is not able to play tomorrow, LaRavia figures to remain in the starting lineup with Doncic, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Ayton. Knecht, who has seen at least 16 minutes in each of the last three games and 23 or more minutes twice, will likely continue to see an uptick in playing time. Knecht has been inconsistent shooting the ball, though he has scored in double figures three times.

Gabe Vincent

Vincent will miss his seventh straight game with an ankle injury, and there is no clear timetable for his return. Vincent has already missed two weeks since suffering the injury on October 26. While it was reported that he was expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks originally, Khobi Price of the SoCal Group said that the 29-year-old guard has yet to do any contact work. Still, Price added that Redick believes that Vincent is close to returning, perhaps after the road trip.

“JJ Redick said Gabe Vincent’s on-court work assistant coach Lindsey Harding has progressed, but mentioned he hasn’t done contact work since suffering the sprained left ankle on October 26. Mentioned LAL’s hoping the 2-4 week timeline is closer to 3ish — Price tweeted.

With Vincent, who serves as the Lakers’ third guard, remaining out, that means Smith Jr and Bronny James will continue to see an uptick in playing time.

LeBron James

James (sciata) will remain out through the road trip. James appears on track to return sometime in the middle of the month. Price reported on Friday that James has done one-on-one with coaches so far, and that the team is progressing from there in light of LeBron being cleared for contact basketball activities. Price also mentioned that Redick mentioned that the 40-year-old could practice with the South Bay Lakers before returning to the court.

Adou Thiero

Thiero is still recovering from left knee surgery. He was cleared for basketball activities on October 30 and has been practicing with the South Bay Lakers. So, he will eventually be able to get on the court, though it will likely be with South Bay.

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