When Is Lebron James Playing Again
Over the halfway point of the 2021-22 NBA flavor, things haven't exactly gone to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers, who find themselves behind the contending pack.
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Sitting in ninth place (24-26) in the Western Conference, four games back of the Denver Nuggets in sixth and a whopping 16.0 games shy of the conference-leading Phoenix Suns, the Lakers are squarely in Play-In range with some serious work to do.
LeBron James injury update
Despite LeBron James playing some of the best basketball of his career, their season has been somewhat derailed past injuries and COVID-nineteen health and safety protocol absences, along with Russell Westbrook'south slow kickoff to life in LA. James sabbatum out Th'southward 18-signal loss to the Philadelphia 76ers as they once once again savage back on the wrong side of .500 heading into the second nighttime of a dorsum-to-dorsum in Charlotte.
The team announced shortly earlier tip off on Thursday that James would not play, listing him day-to-day with a knee injury. Information technology was the 14th game he's missed this season, with the Lakers posting a 5-9 record in those games.
James will too miss the team's coming together with the Hawks on Sunday.
LeBron James volition miss his tertiary directly game with soreness is his left knee Sun in Atlanta, the Lakers announced.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) Jan 29, 2022
Anthony Davis, who had 31 points and 12 rebounds against the 76ers on Thursday, was also ruled out against the Hornets with right wrist soreness. His status for Sun is unknown.
Davis returned on Jan. 25 in a win over the Nets in Brooklyn afterward missing 17 games with a sprained MCL in his left articulatio genus.
"I thought he played really well, it was not bad to encounter him get a rhythm," said motorcoach Frank Vogel. "Anthony played a hell of a game on both sides of the ball."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 28, 2022
Of their remaining six games before the trade borderline, the Lakers only play ii teams above .500. On paper, they have an opportunity to put together a nice run and make upward some footing in the standings.
According to Tankathon, the Lakers accept the third toughest remaining schedule this season and their next stretch of games in the lead up to the trade deadline could show pivotal in the direction their season goes.
Lakers upcoming schedule 2021-22
| Appointment | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Jan. 30 | at Hawks | 1:00 p.m. | – |
| Feb. 2 | vs. Trail Blazers | 10:00 p.grand. | – |
| Feb. iii | at Clippers | ten:00 p.one thousand. | TNT |
| Feb. 5 | vs, Knicks | 8:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Feb. 8 | vs. Bucks | ten:00 p.m. | TNT |
| Feb. ix | at Trail Blazers | 10:00 p.m. | – |
With their full roster back on the floor, this next stretch of games will give them a good indication of where they stand, among swirling speculation that some changes could exist on the way.
Information technology'southward no secret that the Lakers need something to alter and while Davis' return could well be the lightning rod to spark a run and get them back on rails, their roster issues go deeper than simply having missed Davis for an extended stretch.
Caput coach Frank Vogel's task security has been the topic of recent speculation, with reports emerging that he is "coaching for his task" as the Lakers struggle to gain ground in the Western Conference. A poor stretch of games in the pb-upward to the merchandise deadline could show to be the terminal straw for the Lakers front office, who are badly trying to make the most of what'due south left off LeBron James' championship window. (Although it looks like it could go some other 10 years.)
With express bacon cap flexibility and almost no draft capital, making a move at the deadline will be catchy. The Russell Westbrook-sized elephant in the room is the easiest to betoken to with the ix-fourth dimension All-Star struggling to impact the squad's law-breaking consistently, averaging18.9 points (his lowest since 2009-10), 7.nine rebounds and 7.6 assists per game on .443/.305/.680 shooting splits — not to mention he's making $44 million this flavor and has a $47 meg player choice in 2022-23.
"The challenge is how to be the version of myself for this squad, that's what I'k trying to figure out," Westbrook told ESPN'due south Adrian Wojnarowski. "I want to get better as the season goes on, and I've got to have responsibleness for the things I'm doing and how I'k making those around me better. We have a legitimate adventure to be able to win it all, and to practise that, I'll have to be better—and I know that I volition be."
Finding a buyer for Westbrook will be hard, with Rockets guard John Wall a name that has been floated in recent days. The Undefeated'due southMarc Spears reported Tuesday onThe Hoop Collective podcast, that the but "realistic" target for the Rockets to make a deal for Wall would be for Westbrook; nonetheless, they would look for Westbrook to come off the bench if he were to suit up for them. Seems unlikely.
"I was told that they have a couple on the tabular array, several on the table, just the simply 1 that's actually has some, y'all know, realistic potential to information technology is with the Lakers for Russ. They really make, I don't know if it's about to the same dollar, but a similar bacon, so yous tin can trade them ane-for-one without including anybody else. That 2027 Laker choice that you mentioned before, that offset-circular pick, seems to exist pretty coveted, and I would look information technology to be included in such a deal. Simply John's in Miami. He'south been working out. He actually asked the Rockets for permission to exist in Miami so he could be near his kids and focus on working out."
NBA reporter Marc Stein reported that if Westbrook were to find himself back in Houston, it would probable expect for him to accept a buyout, with their main focus getting off Wall'due south contract and acquiring the Lakers' 2027 draft pick.
MORE: Lakers, Warriors among most interesting teams at trade borderline
Wall, who has not played a unmarried game for the Rockets this flavour, appears to exist a better fit than Westbrook, only is it a movement that puts them over the top? Probably not.
Kendrick Nunn and Talen Horton-Tucker have too been dangled in trade talks along with time to come typhoon assets, but what the Lakers could get in render remains in question.
If the Lakers are able to cord together a run of games ahead of the merchandise deadline, with their total roster on deck, perhaps the trade talks die downwardly, but as information technology stands, something has to change for the Lakers, whether it be on the roster or the coaching staff, nosotros will just have to wait and run across.
Source: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/lebron-james-injury-update-lakers/ov6ff2c23h361dzenb8wlhc02
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