This part of the NBA schedule has been pretty tough for the Lakers. They have five games over seven days, are dealing with a slew of injuries and are currently on a three-game losing streak.
LA is also
set to play the second leg of a back-to-back on Tuesday, with their biggest star’s availability very much in question.
Luka Dončić and LeBron James are both listed as questionable for the Lakers’ game against the Hawks. To make matters worse, they also have backup big Jaxson Hayes ruled out.
LeBron has yet to complete a back-to-back slate this year, which is understandable given his age and the sciatica injury he dealt with earlier this season.
However, if he misses this game against the Hawks, he would no longer be eligible for any end-of-season awards.
The NBA states you must play 65 games to qualify for accomplishments like MVP and All-NBA, and one more absence makes it impossible for James to reach that threshold.
Besides what it means for LeBron to miss a game, the Lakers need his availability to improve their odds of winning and the same goes for Luka.
Dončić is coming off a 42-point performance in LA’s loss to Sacramento, and mentioned postgame that his inner thigh/groin area was treated in the second half. He said he was unsure whether he would be able to play against the Hawks.
Beating the Hawks if both are ruled out will be a tough task. The Lakers lost earlier this year to Atlanta, even with Hayes and Dončić available.
Rui Hachimura is another player dealing with an injury that is affecting his availability.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick sat him against the Kings even though he was available to play. Redick stated that Hachimura will be on a “severe” minutes restriction against Atlanta.
Hachimura will also be coming off the bench and not starting as he ramps up his conditioning.
Perhaps Kobe Bufkin can help LA on Tuesday night.
Bufkin signed a 10-day contract with LA and has been dominating in the G League with South Bay. If the Lakers are indeed missing most of their starting lineup, Bufkin might get some run and provide an offensive boost for Los Angeles.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
