Well, so much for the Lakers being fully healthy coming out of the All-Star break. On Thursday, LA had an empty injury report heading into their contests against the Clippers.
But on Friday afternoon, the team added LeBron James to the list, placing him as questionable to play due to left knee soreness.
If LeBron misses this contest, it’ll be another game in which the team will
play without one of its top three players.
Luka Dončić missed the last four games on the Lakers’ schedule due to a hamstring strain, and while Austin Reaves was back from his calf injury, he was still on a minutes restriction.
LA’s game against the Clippers is set to be the first time this calendar year that Reaves is going to play without a minutes restriction.
So, hearing that LeBron might be out when his two co-stars are finally fully healthy is frustrating for Lakers fans. Until we hear more about the injury, it remains unclear what caused the soreness, how serious it is and whether he could miss not only this Clippers contest but also upcoming matchups.
LeBron participated in the All-Star Game on Sunday, playing with Team Stripes. His importance to the team can’t be understated. James is still one of the best playmakers on the team and is averaging 22 points, 5.8 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Without him on the court, beating the Clippers gets that much harder. It also means the chemistry between him and Luka and Austin won’t be further developed on Friday.
There’s also still a possibility that LeBron plays in this game. However, being downgraded to questionable on the afternoon of a game isn’t a sign that things are heading in that direction.
If LeBron is out, then it’ll be the Luka and Austin show in LA, and they’ll have to hope that’s enough to beat their Western Conference rival.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
