Lakers prepare for Rockets series with emphasis on rebounding
Rebounding was not a strength of the Lakers during the regular season. Rebounding has been a strength of the Houston Rockets in the 2025-26 campaign.
So on their first day of practice Tuesday for Game 1 of the first round Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers worked diligently on rebounding drills, knowing full well that it will be one of the keys against the Rockets.
The Lakers were the fourth-worst rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 41.0 per game. The Rockets were the best rebounding team in the league, with 48.1 overall and 15.0 on the offensive end.
And one of the Lakers’ best rebounders, Luka Doncic, won’t be available because he has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that he went to Spain to get treatment for. Doncic is second on the Lakers in rebounding with 7.7 per game. His starting teammate, Austin Reaves, is also a good rebounder, but he also won’t play because of a grade 2 left oblique strain. Reaves is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game.
“They’re out indefinitely,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Doncic and Reaves.
Redick then gave a simple answer on how the Lakers should face the Rockets in the best-of-seven series.
“Again, taking care of basketball and boxing. That’s the show,” Redick said. “The plan, the personnel, is obviously important, but if we don’t take care of the ball and box out, we’re not going to win the series.
“They were No. 4 in scoring chances. We were No. 23, so we don’t have the luxury with Luka and AR to practice scoring chances every game. We have to box. We’re going to emphasize every drill in practice. We started practice with boxing today. You have to put it in their minds. That’s literally the only thing we said about Houston today. Today was about practicing and become more specific. Tomorrow we will present. [Rockets] staff. On Thursday we will do our scouting, as we would do. Friday will be a reinforcement of this scout. Saturday we will be ready to go. The only thing we did today was step out of the box.
Lakers 7-foot backup center Jaxson Hayes will be counted on to get rebounds. He will also spend time going up against Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun, who is averaging 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds (3.0 on offense) per game.
Hayes missed the last four games with left foot soreness, but was back in practice Tuesday.
“I feel a lot better,” Hayes said. “It’s nice to have a few days off. Especially with my job, I jump around a lot and run around a lot, so it’s hard for me to rest something like that. Having those days off was really necessary. Very helpful.”
When asked about the box-out drills the Lakers did in practice, Hayes recalled the last time he did such a thing.
“Definitely academic, for sure,” Hayes said. “College years with these Texas greats. The coaches start practice where you have to hit someone. Obviously, we weren’t trying to kill each other on the boards, but we were definitely practicing that type of thing. Houston is, I think, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the last 20 years. So, just make sure we’re ready for that.”
The Rockets are a physical team that also plays stifling defense.
Houston allowed 110.0 points per game during the regular season, the fourth-best defensive mark in the league, and held teams to 46.0% shooting, the sixth-best mark in the league.
For Lakers guard Marcus Smart, there is a way to compete with the Rockets on the boards.
“Will. Will,” Smart said. “We’re competitors. We’ve been doing this for a while. We’re doing this at the highest level, right? And they’re going to try to come and hit us. And if you let it, you’ll be punked. And I don’t think we have guys that are going to be punked on this team. So we might not be the most athletic and the strongest, but we have to have the most heart.”
