The Los Angeles Lakers went through quite the revamp as a roster this past trade deadline. Reminiscent of what the Cleveland Cavaliers did in 2018 as they cleaned house and brought in new talent, Rob Pelinka, after consulting with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, brought a total of 5 new players onto the team.
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LeBron finally has pieces that are complementary to his style of play. Guys who can space the floor, not clog the paint, and defend on the perimeter are the exact type of personnel ‘The King’ needs in order to fully maximize his abilities out on NBA hardwood.
Jarred Vanderbilt, D’Angelo Russell, and Malik Beasley have all made their debuts for the purple and gold tonight in Golden State against the Warriors. Mo Bamba is yet to suit up for them but another man missing from the lineup tonight was none other than LeBron James. There is a good reason for this that Lakers fans might not enjoy all too much.
Also read: What Did LeBron James Accomplish?
Why is LeBron James not playing tonight?
LeBron James was not only ruled out for tonight’s game against the Warriors but also the one prior against the Milwaukee Bucks. This was one game after he had broken the all-time regular season scoring record, passing up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar while playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The reason for why James has been listed as ‘OUT’ is because of a nagging foot injury of his. According to BR’s Chris Haynes, he’s struggling with this foot injury despite Rob Pelinka coming out and saying that the scan on his foot has come back ‘clean’.
“I was told LeBron was severely struggling with that foot injury he has [Tuesday night vs. the Thunder]… It gets to points where it just gets unbearable and he plays through it… The way it’s explained to me is that might be something that lingers all season long, but it… https://t.co/1e9TpzCoiY pic.twitter.com/Q84RfAi1dX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 11, 2023
LeBron hasn’t missed all too many games due to injury this season despite being 38 years old. He missed 5 in November due to a groin injury but other than that, the 300ppg scorer has been quite healthy. Lakers fans will need to keep an eye on this as it develops further as James is the key to their team progressing up the standings.
Lakers starting 5 without LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup without James:
- Dennis Schroder (PG)
- D’Angelo Russell (SG)
- Troy Brown Jr. (SF)
- Rui Hachimura (PF)
- Anthony Davis (C)
