Can the Lakers survive January without Austin Reaves?

Lakers January 2026 schedule

Legend: ⭐ Key matchup | Highlighted game | Bold = Home game | All times Eastern

Here's the uncomfortable truth about the Los Angeles Lakers heading into 2026: they're a mess. And the schedule ahead isn't doing them any favors.

JJ Redick stood at the podium on Christmas night and said what nobody wanted to hear. "We don't care enough right now," he told reporters after getting blown out by Houston 119-96. "And that's the part that bothers you a lot. We don't care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don't care enough to be a professional."

That's your first-year coach—technically second year, but still finding his footing—publicly calling out his roster's professionalism. Not exactly the holiday spirit Laker Nation was hoping for.

The schedule that could break them

January opens with back-to-back home games against Memphis on January 2nd and 4th. Sounds manageable until you remember Ja Morant's Grizzlies have been one of the league's most unpredictable teams. Then it's a quick road trip to New Orleans (January 6) and San Antonio (January 7) before Milwaukee comes to town on the 9th.

The real gauntlet starts mid-month. Sacramento on January 12th. Atlanta and Charlotte at home. Then a brutal eight-game road swing that includes stops in Denver (January 20), both LA Clippers games (December 20 and January 22), Dallas (January 24), Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, and ends at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks on February 1st.

Eight consecutive road games. The longest road trip in the NBA this season. And they're doing it without their second-best player.

The Reaves problem nobody wants to acknowledge

Austin Reaves was having the season of his life. We're talking 26.6 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds per game—All-Star numbers from an undrafted kid who worked his way up from nothing. Then his calf gave out on Christmas Day, and suddenly the Lakers are staring at a four-week absence minimum.

Luka Dončić offered some advice after the injury: "I know how it is to go through a calf injury. It's not fun at all. Calves are dangerous, so take your time."

Luka would know. He missed over a month with a calf strain when Dallas traded him to LA last February. The irony isn't lost on anyone watching this team limp through December.

LeBron at 41: still here, barely

LeBron James turned 41 on December 30th. Let that sink in. The man who's been defying Father Time since 2003 is now the same age as some of his teammates' fathers. Nick Smith Jr. pointed it out himself: "Him and my dad are the same age, and my dad played in college and hasn't played in like 10 years. So the stuff he does is incredible. He's not normal."

But here's what the highlights don't show: LeBron's usage rate has cratered to 24.2%—his lowest ever. He's averaging 20.5 points, which is fine, except it's not fine when your team needs him to carry the load with Reaves out. The sciatica that kept him out for the first 14 games isn't gone. It's managed. There's a difference.

The Lakers need LeBron to be a closer. Right now, he looks like a guy conserving energy for a playoff run that might not happen if they keep losing like this.

What actually matters in January

Forget the wins and losses for a second. Here's what I'm watching:

Marcus Smart's minutes. The veteran guard has to become the defensive anchor while Reaves heals. His three games filling in weren't pretty—30% from the field—but defense doesn't show up in box scores. If Smart can lock down opposing guards, LA has a chance.

Dončić's leadership. He's leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game. Nobody questions his talent. The question is whether he can elevate teammates when the pressure mounts. After the Houston loss, he admitted: "I don't know what has to change, but definitely something needs to change." That's honest. But honesty without action is just venting.

Redick's rotations. The coach hinted at lineup changes after Christmas. He referenced "250 minutes" being the threshold where lineup data actually means something. Translation: he's been experimenting, and the experiments aren't working. January will show whether he's willing to make uncomfortable decisions.

The games that will define the month

January 9 vs Milwaukee at home. Giannis and the Bucks are struggling through their own chaos, but this is a measuring-stick game. Can LA compete with elite talent without Reaves?

January 20 at Denver. The Nuggets own the Lakers in the playoffs. Every matchup feels personal at this point. Jokić versus a depleted Lakers frontcourt isn't fair, but nobody said the Western Conference was fair.

February 1 at New York. The Knicks are legitimate contenders. Madison Square Garden is hostile territory. If LA survives the road trip and shows up competitive against New York, maybe there's hope.

The verdict

The Lakers were 15-4 a few weeks ago. Now they're 15-5 and spiraling. Three straight blowout losses. A star guard on the shelf. A 41-year-old legend managing his body. A coach publicly questioning his team's effort.

January won't save the Lakers. But it might reveal whether this roster—built around the blockbuster Dončić trade that shocked the NBA last February—actually fits together. Or whether it's just a collection of talented individuals waiting for someone else to figure it out.

The schedule is brutal. The absences are real. The excuses are running out.

Welcome to 2026, LA. Let's see what you're actually made of.