The Los Angeles Lakers have released their injury report for their first game back from All-Star Weekend, a makeup game against the Charlotte Hornets that was postponed due to the Southern California wildfires.
Most notable is that superstar LeBron James (left foot soreness) is listed as questionable. He played in the Lakers’ final game prior to the All-Star break against the Utah Jazz, but LeBron would not participate in the All-Star game itself, sitting out due to the ongoing discomfort in that foot.
JJ Redick spoke about James after practice on Tuesday and discussed what the situation is with his foot.
“It’s something that we managed all year. It was sore over the weekend,” Redick said. “He was able to do most of practice today. But like it’s been all year, it’s a day-to-day thing. That’s something we’ve had to manage & will continue to manage the rest of the year.”
Elsewhere, Luka Doncic (left calf strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle soreness) and Gabe Vincent (left knee soreness) are all off the injury report, signaling they are good to go.
Of course Doncic has only recently returned from that calf strain he suffered on Christmas Day that kept him out for over a month. Since returning on the Lakers, Doncic has been on a minutes restriction and the franchise will continue to be careful in working him back in, although Redick revealed that his restriction will be lifted moving forward.
Both Finney-Smith and Vincent sat out the Lakers’ last game against the Jazz and their energy off the bench was sorely missed in the loss.
Finney-Smith is already one of the most trusted role players on the team and fits in any lineup, especially with his defensive versatility and 3-point shooting. Vincent, meanwhile, is finally looking like the player who shined when he was with the Miami Heat, and has been enjoying by far his best stretch of basketball since joining the Lakers.
The Lakers’ schedule is not easy coming out of the All-Star break as they will start off with a back-to-back, traveling to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Thursday. They will then head to Denver for a third game in four nights with the Nuggets on Saturday. Whether this plays a factor in how the Lakers handle these players remains to be seen, but it’s reasonable to think that some will not play in all three games.
Luka Doncic already ‘impressed’ by Lakers’ front office attempted moves
The Lakers’ trade for Luka Doncic was one that shocked the basketball world, but it also left the team with a big hole at center. The front office immediately looked to fix that with a trade for Mark Williams, but the Hornets big man failed a physical and the trade was rescinded.
But the quickness with which Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office moved to get a big man that fit with what Doncic likes in a center really stood out to the guard. Doncic and his camp were reportedly impressed with the Lakers front office as they understood a big addition was more likely to come in the offseason.
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