LOS ANGELES – Just when everything seemed to be clicking for the purple and gold, the Los Angeles Lakers have been dealt a gut punch ahead of Friday’s high-stakes NBA Cup showdown against the Dallas Mavericks on Prime Video.
Defensive anchor Marcus Smart is officially questionable with back spasms, according to Lakers insider Mike Trudell. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year has been the heartbeat of LA’s early-season surge, and his potential absence casts a dark cloud over a team riding a scorching 5-0 winning streak.
The numbers with and without Smart are staggering. When the 31-year-old is on the floor, the Lakers post a glittering +9.1 net rating and hold opponents to just 106.7 points per 100 possessions – elite-level defense. Remove him, and that same defense collapses to nearly 115 points per 100 possessions. Smart currently leads the entire Lakers roster in defensive rating and is tied for the team lead in net rating (min. 200 minutes).
This isn’t just another injury update – it’s a potential momentum-killer for a 13-4 squad that has finally found its identity under first-year head coach JJ Redick, with LeBron James and Luka Dončić thriving alongside a rejuvenated Smart.
A Painful Past, A Motivated Present
Smart’s injury history has followed him like a shadow ever since the blockbuster three-team trade that sent him from Boston to Memphis in 2023. He appeared in only 20 games during his lone full season with the Grizzlies and a combined 34 games across Memphis and Washington in 2024-25. Chronic injuries turned one of the league’s most feared perimeter defenders into a “what if.”
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But Los Angeles has been different. Smart has already played 14 of the Lakers’ first 17 games – his healthiest stretch in three years – and he’s looked every bit the player who terrorized opponents in Celtic green.
After signing with the Lakers, Smart was candid about his previous stops: “The last two years for me was, in my eyes, a disappointment. Injuries kind of stopped me and held me back… Everything happens for a reason, and now it’s full circle and I’m here.”
His motivation? Helping LeBron James and Luka Dončić bring banner No. 18 to Crypto.com Arena.
“What better place to be able to do that than here where the show starts and where the show ends,” Smart said. “That was definitely a big part of it – being able to get back on that stage… and that was a perfect fit here.”
Next Man Up… But There’s No Other Marcus Smart
If Smart can’t go against Dallas, the Lakers will turn to increased minutes for guards like Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and possibly Gabe Vincent or Cam Reddish. None of them, however, can replicate Smart’s unique blend of physicality, IQ, and willingness to guard 1-through-4 night after night.
Friday’s NBA Cup clash was already must-see TV: LeBron and Luka Dončić facing the franchise Luka grew up idolizing, with both teams fighting for West Group B positioning. Now it carries even more drama – can the Lakers extend their streak to six without their defensive soul?
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on Amazon Prime Video. Lakers Nation will be holding its collective breath until Smart’s final status is announced.