JJ Redick did not want to play the Luka Doncic hypothetical game.
After the Los Angeles Lakers fell into a 3-0 hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Redick was asked whether he had thought about how different the Western Conference semifinal series might look if Doncic had been available. The question was obvious, given the Lakers’ offensive issues and the absence of their injured star. Redick’s answer was just as direct.
“No,” Redick said, flatly.
When a reporter followed that, prompting further dicsussion, the Lakers coach pushed back in his own way.
“I worked at ESPN for three years,” Redick said after. “I know what makes the machine work.”
The exchange captured the uncomfortable spot the Lakers are in entering Game 4. The Doncic question is fair because he is one of the NBA’s most important offensive players. It is also a dead end for Redick, whose team does not get to replay the series with a healthy version of its roster.
The Thunder beat the Lakers 131-108 in Game 3, taking a 3-0 series lead after outscoring Los Angeles 74-49 in the second half. Oklahoma City remained unbeaten in the postseason, while the Lakers moved one loss from elimination.
JJ Redick was Asked If He Thought About What If Luka Had Been Available? His Answer Was Blunt
Redick’s answer was not really about denying the obvious. Of course Doncic’s absence changes the Lakers’ ceiling.
The point was that Redick was not going to let the postgame conversation turn into a debate about a series that is not being played. Coaches rarely get anything useful out of public what-ifs, especially when the answer can sound like an excuse.
For the Lakers, the Doncic absence has been more than a missing name. It has changed the structure of their offense. Doncic gives Los Angeles another high-level creator, another late-clock option and another player capable of forcing the Thunder to defend deep into possessions.
Without him, the Lakers have had to ask more of LeBron James, Austin Reaves and the supporting cast against an Oklahoma City team with superior depth, athleticism and defensive pressure. That showed again in Game 3, when the Lakers committed 17 turnovers that led to 30 Thunder points.
That is why the question was inevitable. It is also why Redick avoided feeding it.
His “machine” line was a media-savvy answer from someone who knows how quickly a quote can become the story. Redick spent years in television before becoming the Lakers’ coach, and he understood the headline waiting inside the question: Would this series be different with Luka?
He chose not to give it oxygen.
Luka Doncic Is Not Reported as Returning This Series and Will Miss Game 4
The more important point for Lakers fans is not whether Doncic would have changed Games 1, 2 or 3. It is that he is not expected to change Game 4.
Doncic will not play in Game 4 against the Thunder on Monday, May 11, after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain on April 2. The Lakers entered the series without a clear return date for Doncic, and the timeline has only become more punishing as the Thunder pushed them to the brink.
ESPN reported on May 6 that Doncic said he did not know when he would be able to return from the Grade 2 hamstring strain that had sidelined him since April.
LeBron James and Austin Reaves Have One More Chance in Lakers-Thunder Series
With Doncic out, the Lakers’ season now falls back on James, Reaves and whatever answers Redick can find before Game 4. That matters because Game 4 is now an elimination game. Thunder-Lakers Game 4 is on Monday, May 11, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena, with the game airing on Prime Video.
James finished Game 3 with 19 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, while Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 21 points. That was not enough against a Thunder team that got 24 points and 10 assists from Ajay Mitchell, 23 points and 9 assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 18 points and 9 rebounds from Chet Holmgren.
The Lakers do not need a perfect answer to the Doncic hypothetical now. They need a functional answer to Oklahoma City’s pressure, pace and depth.
That means cleaner possessions from Reaves, more sustained shot creation from James and a game plan that keeps the Lakers from losing control in the second half again. Los Angeles led by two at halftime in Game 3 before the Thunder turned the game into a blowout.
Redick’s blunt response may not satisfy fans who want to imagine a healthy Lakers roster. But it did reflect the reality of the moment.
Doncic is not walking through the door for Game 4. The Lakers are down 3-0. The Thunder can end the series Monday night.
The what-if is obvious. The only question left is whether the Lakers have one more game in them without him.
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