Lakers Open Preseason Without Reaves, Kessler, Sexton and Kaluma Against Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers opened their preseason Monday, October 5, at Golden 1 Center against the Sacramento Kings without four players coach JJ Redick had hoped to have on the floor.

Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, two of the team's projected starters, both sat out. Reaves tweaked his ankle. Kessler jammed a finger on the backboard, according to Redick, as reported by the NY Post. Veteran guard Collin Sexton and two-way forward Arthur Kaluma also missed the game with what Redick described as "very light lower-body injuries."

Redick told reporters all four players were "fine" and day-to-day, according to the NY Post and Heavy. Sexton had his lower right leg wrapped during Monday's shootaround, but Heavy reported, citing California Post reporter Khobi Price, that he still went through light jogging, lateral movement and resistance work with a harness before the game. No specific diagnosis was given for Sexton's issue.

The absences meant Los Angeles opened the night without two of what Sports Illustrated and the Sporting Tribune both called the team's projected "Big 3" alongside Luka Dončić. With Reaves and Kessler out, the Lakers' starting lineup against Sacramento was Dončić, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Kevon Looney, according to Silver Screen and Roll.

This preseason opener was supposed to be the first chance to see a Lakers roster with nine new faces play together in a game setting, following a full week of training camp, according to Sports Illustrated. Instead, it became a proving ground for depth pieces instead of a debut for the full projected rotation.

Kessler's absence was particularly notable. The 7-foot-1 center was the Lakers' marquee free agency addition this offseason, brought in to provide rim protection the team lacked a year ago. Redick has called the three-man combination of Dončić, Reaves and Kessler a "perfect fit," according to Heavy, making their on-court debut together one of the most anticipated storylines of training camp.

With Reaves sidelined, the opener instead gave extended run to the Lakers' crowded guard and wing group. Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Bronny James all had chances to log backcourt minutes, while Thybulle, Williams and Adou Thiero competed for rotation spots on the wing, Heavy reported. Rookie first-round pick Cameron Carr, taken as part of the Lakers' offseason overhaul, also figured into that mix, according to the Sporting Tribune.

The Sporting Tribune framed the night around a specific internal competition: with Dončić, Reaves and Kessler treated as locks for three of five starting spots, Redick still needs to settle the small forward and power forward jobs. Grimes, Williams and Thybulle offer differing offensive and defensive skill sets on the wing, while Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt are competing at power forward.

Lakers Daily focused on the defensive side of the ledger, noting that Redick's rebuilt scheme is built around switching across positions 1 through 4 while increasing on-ball pressure. The site flagged Sacramento rookie Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick, as a specific test case for whether that pressure could disrupt an opposing team's first option before the ball ever reaches the paint.

The injuries were not treated as a crisis by any outlet covering the game. Silver Screen and Roll noted the Lakers were always unlikely to be at full strength in an exhibition opener, especially one that kicks off a stretch of three games in four nights, with Los Angeles scheduled to play the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

That quick turnaround will be the real test of Redick's "day-to-day" label. If Reaves, Kessler, Sexton or Kaluma are still out Tuesday against the Warriors, it will say more about the severity of these injuries than anything that happened in Sacramento.