The Los Angeles Lakers cannot afford injuries this year, especially to their best players.
LeBron James missed his first game against the Denver Nuggets due to a sore groin.
The Lakers have lost 3 straight games and 2 of those losses one of the Lakers stars did not play. It’s pretty clear that the Lakers cannot win consistently without both Davis and James on the floor.
LeBron James does not have a serious injury so he shouldn’t miss multiple games. The Lakers played well in the first half against the Denver Nuggets but showed that they needed their leader to dominate in key moments.
Kyle Kuzma said after the game that, “it’s kinda hard to next man up LeBron. He does so much”.
The Lakers don’t have many playmakers outside of LeBron and Rondo so when they miss a game, it’s hard for the offense to have flow and space. LeBron is listed as day to day so hopefully, he will play against the Clippers on Christmas Day.
Anthony Davis seemed to have tweaked his knee against the Denver Nuggets. Davis stayed in the game and continued to be aggressive while limping on one leg. The Lakers need to look at the big picture and maybe resting Davis until he’s 100% makes sense.
The Lakers need both James and Davis as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
It may cost the Lakers win in the process but it will all be worth it if they are healthy in the playoffs and win the championship.
The Lakers need to make tough decisions with their two stars between now and April.
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