Most of the time, NBA injuries are hard to avoid. Training staff around the league can't avoid whether or not a player steps on someone's ankle, causing a sprain, or even worse. Additionally, there are also non-contact injuries, where a player can tear an ACL or Achilles tendon without even coming into contact with another player.

However, there are also injuries that the environment can dictate. At the Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have a unique design in which the court is elevated above the sideline, which led to Miami Heat guard Dru Smith suffering an ACL sprain in 2023. On Wednesday night, it almost got another player.

In the first quarter of Wednesday's contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lakers star Luka Doncic started moving backward after a jump shot over Cleveland's Dean Wade, before falling off the court and narrowly avoiding a serious injury to his ankle.

Doncic would be taken out of the game but eventually returned, but is listed as questionable for Friday's contest against the Washington Wizards. This happening one time to Dru Smith might've been bad luck, but Doncic narrowly avoiding a season-altering injury definitely raises some flags.

After the game, head coach JJ Redick was asked about the court situation, giving his honest response that other coaches around the league likely agree with.

"It is absolutely a safety hazard. I don't know why it's still like that. You can lodge formal complaints; a lot of times, you don't see any change when you lodge your formal complaint," Redick said.

Luckily, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the NBA and the Cavaliers are set to explore solutions for the team's court setup in hopes of avoiding any situations like Luka's again.

While the Lakers aren't in that upperclass of contenders at the moment, losing Doncic for the season or an extended period of time would significantly impact their chances at a deep playoff run in 2026.

Other teams will still have to play in Cleveland this season, but the Lakers played their only contest there already on Wednesday, as the two sides meet once again this year, but in Los Angeles on March 31st.

The Lakers now turn their attention to Friday night's contest against the Wizards, where they'll look to get both Austin Reaves and Doncic back on the court. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. EST.