The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and LeBron James (left foot injury management) is listed as questionable
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis (left plantar fasciitis) is listed as probable for the game while Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery/left knee effusion), Christian Wood (left knee surgery recovery), Jalen Hood-Schifino (left hamstring strain) and Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain/contusion) all remain out.
This could be the third straight game missed for James, who is dealing with foot soreness but is also currently away from the team due to personal reasons. Lakers head coach JJ Redick was asked when James would return to the team before Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and said he was not sure.
The situation with James is a bit peculiar, although it’s never fair to speculate why someone is away when it’s due to personal reasons.
Regardless, the Lakers may need to find a way to compete without the 20-time All-Star, which was definitely an issue in their loss in Minnesota.
On the bright side though, if James is forced to miss Sunday’s game, he will get a few more days of rest as the Lakers don’t play again until Thursday when they travel to take on the Sacramento Kings. If James is able to return for that game then that means he would have gotten 13 days of rest while only missing three games, a much-needed reset for the soon-to-be 40-year-old.
For the time being though, the Lakers may continue to be extremely shorthanded, especially in the frontcourt with James, Vanderbilt, Hayes and Wood all out.
Regardless of who is playing, the matchup with the Grizzlies will be spicy as Ja Morant let it be known after one of their recent matchups that he doesn’t like the Lakers, while Dalton Knecht took exception to some disrespect aimed at James from Morant and Memphis.
Lakers rebuilding by trading LeBron James & Anthony Davis viewed as unlikely
With the Lakers’ season not going how they had hoped so far and LeBron James now away from the team, there has naturally been some trade speculation surrounding both him and Anthony Davis.
According to recent reports though, the Lakers trading their two stars and entering a full rebuild between now and the trade deadline is viewed as unlikely. That makes sense considering the Lakers’ 2025 first-round pick will be going to the Atlanta Hawks no matter where it lands, so there is no incentive for the organization to tank.
The hope is that the team can play well enough and force the front office’s hand to become buyers ahead of the deadline, but it remains to be seen if that will be the case.
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