INGLEWOOD — Lakers star Luka Doncic didn’t play against the Clippers on Wednesday night, the first time this season that the Slovenian star didn’t suit up for a game.
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But don’t read too much into Doncic’s absence due to back tightness against the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back set after Tuesday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers also held out forward Ziaire Williams on Wednesday with left foot inflammation and soreness.
This isn’t a case similar to Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton or any of the other early-season injuries that have ravaged the NBA through the first few weeks of the season.
The Lakers are being rather safe than sorry – even if one of the players they’re holding out is the league’s leading scorer through four games. Doncic is averaging 36 points per game on 48.4% shooting from the field along with 8.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game.
“We have a tough stretch of games,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said, with Wednesday’s Clippers matchup the first of five games in seven days. “Not a lot of time between (games). Just being overly cautious.”
Redick said he’s hopeful that both Doncic and Williams will be available for Friday’s road game against the Golden State Warriors, which is the Lakers’ first NBA Cup group-play game.
VANDO MAKES SEASON DEBUT
With Doncic and Williams out – and with Kevon Looney’s backup center stint not going to plan four games this season – Redick turned to forward Jarred Vanderbilt off the bench during the first quarter on Wednesday.
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Before the game, Redick was asked about Vanderbilt’s potential viability as a backup center option – one of a few Lakers who could fill in behind star center Walker Kessler along with Looney and new two-way contract signee Lawson Lovering.
Lovering was not active Wednesday despite his signing becoming official. Redick admitted that he was still getting up to speed on the 23-year-old big man.
Redick said Vanderbilt, who was active for each of the Lakers’ first four games but did not play, “certainly” could fill that center role.
“I think my conversations with Vando last year were a lot about putting him in a position to succeed and wanting to play him less at the five …,” Redick said of Vanderbilt, who played in 65 regular-season games for the Lakers last season and averaged 4.4 points on 47.1% shooting from the field.
“We had to the second half of Luka’s first season with us, post-trade, we just positionally we didn’t have anybody outside of Jaxson (Hayes) that could really play (center). So he did that by necessity, and I think he’s better suited, obviously, to be more of a wing and a forward, and be out on the perimeter defensively. But there’s going to be moments where he’s going to, by necessity, have to play some five.”
Vanderbilt, who is in the third season of a four-year, $48 million contract with the Lakers, fell out of favor with Redick’s rotations during the 2025-26 season before returning to the fold during the playoffs, dislocating his pinky finger during the second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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