The stage at American Airlines Center on Easter Sunday felt exposed. LIke it was stripped of its stars. Sure, there was still LeBron James and on the other side of the court 19-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg, but there was no Luka Doncic making his return to Dallas. No Austin Reaves or Kyrie Irving either.
In their absence, multiple players on the Los Angeles Lakers roster will have an opportunity to step up and shine. One of those players is Luke Kennard.
For the Lakers, this is no longer about surviving a stretch without their top two scorers who average 58 points per game combined. This is about forging a new identity without them. One that will hopefully sustain them through not just the remainder of the regular season, but into the first round of the NBA playoffs as well.
“Both those guys are going to try and come back,” said Lakers head coach J.J. Redick of Doncic and Reaves. “It’s our job to extend the season so that they can come back.”
Playing without their engine and their spark plug, the Lakers sputtered on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks 134-128. But a silver lining in the loss was the play of Kennard.
The former 12th overall pick in the 2017 Draft was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 5 for Gabe Vincent and a future second-round pick. Kennard was always seen as a luxury for the Lakers, a spot-up shooter off the bench that could improve their paltry three-point percentage.
Thrust into the starting lineup at point guard in place of Doncic, Kennard was suddenly asked to do something he hasn’t done before in his nine-year career: become a playmaker.
Entering the game, Kennard was averaging 8.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. Through two-and-a-half quarters on Sunday, he had his first career triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also had the highest rating out of any Lakers player on the floor with a +8.
“It’s an encouraging sign. He did a nice job,” said Redick of Kennard’s performance. “Him playing 41 minutes and having to handle the ball that much is not a normal thing for him…but he did some amazing things.”
Before we get carried away, it’s worth noting that one game does not erase years of precedent. Kennard has built his career as a three-point specialist. A sniper that can hide in the corner, and space the floor. Asking him to morph into any version of Luka Doncic is not just ambitious, but it borders on reckless.
But honestly, what other choice do the Lakers have?
Without Doncic and Reaves, the offense doesn’t just shrink, it collapses inward. The geometry changes. A 41-year-old James will be asked to shoulder the offensive load, but he can’t have the ball in his hands for 48 straight minutes. And unless someone stretches the floor not just with shooting, but with decision-making, this team becomes predictable. Easy to guard. Easy to beat.
“We’re going to play lineups that haven’t played together all season,” said Redick before the game. “All the guys know that we need to step up. We need all hands on deck.”
He has to be aggressive. Not selectively. Consistently. That means hunting his shot, not waiting for it. That means turning a closeout into a drive, not a swing pass. That means reading the second defender, manipulating weak-side help, and delivering passes that create advantage—not just maintain it. Sunday was a promising start, especially when he threw a lob to James on the break in the third quarter.
But if the Lakers think they can outscore teams without Doncic and Reaves, they’re fooling themselves. This team’s margin for error just evaporated. Effort, communication, physicality—those aren’t optional now, they’re survival tools. And while Kennard’s offensive evolution is a must, his defensive engagement might quietly be just as critical.
Because on Sunday, it wasn’t even the Lakers offense that was the problem. It was the defense. Against a Mavericks team that was 24-53 and already looking ahead to ping-pong balls, the Lakers defense, that had held opponents to 115 points per game this season, allowed Dallas to score 134. Nearly 20 points more than normal.
“Missing those two guys is a big change,” admitted Kennard after the loss. “We did some really good things offensively, but it has to be defense for us. That’s what we have to hang our hat on going forward.”
Kennard isn’t being asked to replicate Doncic. That would be absurd. He’s being asked to expand—to stretch the edges of his game in real time, under pressure, with no runway. That’s where players either evolve or get exposed.
“It’s something I’ve never really done, being that involved and having the ball in my hands that much,” said Kennard of his new role. “I have to be better with it. The shots are going to fall, but it’s about getting everyone connected and being organized out there and just being confident with it. It’s something I’m looking forward to getting better with.”
If Kennard can sustain even 70% of what he showed on Sunday–double-digit assists, keep defenses honest with his shooting, and compete defensively–then the Lakers can stay afloat.
But if he shrinks—if he defaults back into being a spot-up spectator—then the Lakers season will be over sooner than later.
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