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Luke Kennard of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a foul call as his struggles continued in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets.

The Los Angeles Lakers are getting ready to experience it again for the first time in three years. 

But this time feels far different.

The last time the Lakers made it past the first round was in 2023, the year they appeared in the Western Conference finals — where they lost 0-4 to the Denver Nuggets — for the first time since 2020.

Where the Lakers were the favorite then, they are underdogs now. Huuuuge underdogs, that is.

Waiting for them are the Oklahoma City Thunder, who boast firepower enough to overwhelm an entire empire. The Thunder are the champs and very much looking the part so far this postseason. 

Yes, this is the harsh reality for these Lakers. They have to play those guys.

The guys they were gobsmacked by in each of their four meetings this season. 

But L.A. has to start somewhere. It needs a spark plug from a non-star source. Someone who can be the medicine, the person who works best in small doses.

Who could that someone be?

The ‘Problem’ for the Los Angeles Lakers

Remember the bloke who, if one squinted their eyes enough, might’ve confused him for Luka Doncic at the start of the first round? 

The one in purple and gold who, in a now often-replayed moment, was caught fixing his shooting sleeve seconds before he ripped the nets in Orlando?

GettyLuke Kennard #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with Deandre Ayton #5, Austin Reaves #15, LeBron James #23, Luka Doncic #77, and Jake LaRavia #12 after scoring a go-ahead three-point-basket in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on March 21, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.

According to the California Post, Luke Kennard, the 29-year-old sniper extraordinaire acquired midseason, is the X-factor for the Lakers against the Thunder in round two. 

That’s the problem. If he’s exemplary, the Lakers’ margin for error increases. If he’s, well, just another guy, the Lakers might have to bring it in sooner.

“The Lakers have a Luke Kennard problem,” Melissa Rohlin of the Post wrote. “He defers too much. Against a Thunder team with the NBA’s top-rated defense, Kennard will be the X-factor in their second-round playoff series. Without Luka Doncic, the Thunder will collapse on LeBron James and Austin Reaves.”

At first, it appeared the Lakers had something going without Doncic. Then as the first round went on, Kennard, still adjusting to a new role, saw his production drop sharply.

“With Doncic and Reaves out,” Rohlin wrote, “Kennard went from being a 3-point specialist to the Lakers’ primary playmaker. He averaged 25 points in the first two games and seamlessly helped control the offense. After that contest, Kennard went cold from the field. And when Reaves returned in Game 5, Kennard went missing. In Game 5, he was 0-for-4 from the field. In Game 6, he was 1-for-6. That’s not going to fly against a Thunder team that pretty much has five brilliant defenders on the court at all times.”

Indeed, That Won’t Fly — and Neither Will His Shots

So, those dudes down in Oklahoma City … they’re pretty good, huh.

Yeah, they got a guy who rolls out of bed and drops 32 points. And sure, they got that tall dude who can shoot like a guard from the perimeter.

Fine, they have like a bajillion guys who can rattle off a 25-point game when least expected. 

But that’s not even their biggest highlight. It’s what they do on the other side of the ball.

Attach, swarm, rotate, pester, two hands in the grill. In that order. And they commit fouls remarkably infrequently.

If Kennard is not on his best game, it’s not that his diffidence on the court is the only thing that won’t fly.

He can forget about his 3-pointers flying. From anywhere. Even if it’s a 76-footer at the end of the first quarter for the laughs and giggles.