Lakers guard Nick Smith Jr. reacts to his big game on Sunday

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With Austin Reaves sidelined due to a Grade 2 gastrocnemius strain for at least the next four weeks, and with Gabe Vincent continuing to miss games due to a back ailment, the Los Angeles Lakers' guard depth is being seriously challenged.

They don't have great guard depth to begin with, even when fully healthy. But on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings, a potential answer to that problem appeared.

Nick Smith Jr., a third-year guard who hasn't been in coach JJ Redick's rotation this season, got 24 minutes of playing time and scored 21 points on 8-of-14 overall shooting and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. He was a significant factor in the Lakers' 125-101 victory over the Kings that snapped a three-game losing streak.

Smith is on a two-way contract, and after Sunday's game, he talked about keeping himself ready to play for the big-league Lakers when needed.

“This is up and down because obviously I’m on a two-way,” Smith said. “So one day I might play, then the next two games I might not play. So just take it one day at a time. I try to make sure every day is my game day. I try to make sure I prepare my body when my name is called. And tonight was one of those nights.”

Redick said he liked how Smith played, and he also pointed out how the guard can help L.A. find better balance.

“I thought last night he played under control,” Redick said. ... “Took the right shots when they were there. Off-ball, thought he was appropriate level of aggressiveness on the ball as the handler. ... I also thought it was the best defensive game that he's had. Our roster, frankly has a lot of guys that do a lot of one thing really well and the balance of finding that offense-defense balance has got to be there for a guy like Nick to play meaningful minutes. That’s just the reality. He knows that.”

Smith doesn't need to score a substantial amount of points in every game, as he did on Sunday. He simply needs to be consistent and efficient on both ends of the floor, and if he does so, he could perhaps claw his way into the Lakers' regular rotation.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers guard Nick Smith Jr. reacts to his big game on Sunday

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