Injuries are by far the worst part of sports. No fan, player or team wishes injuries on their worst adversaries, and every team wants to beat their competition while they are at full strength.
Unfortunately, they’re unavoidable, and the Los Angeles Lakers are currently being pestered by them.
Since the start of the season, nine different players have appeared on Lakers injury reports, including the team’s stars as well as many of their role players. The most notable blow is LeBron James, who has been dealing with sciatica issues and has yet to make his debut for the team.
Luka Dončić also suffered a lower left leg contusion after a remarkable start to his season, causing him to miss three games in a row before his return against the Miami Heat. However, he was once again for the next game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The absence of these two stars has caused the team to have to step up which they did; that is, before the injury bug caught up to them again.
Austin Reaves played at all-star level in their absence, but he too picked up an injury, having to miss their recent game against the Portland Trailblazers due to a groin issue.
Other players who have been listed on the Lakers’ injury report are Gabe Vincent (ankle), Adou Thiero (knee), Jaxson Hayes (ankle), Maxi Kleber (oblique), and Deandre Ayton (back). Of these nine players, only Dončić, Ayton, and Smart are officially off the injury report for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Despite all of these injuries, the Lakers have been able to rely on their depth to carry them to a record of 6-2, sitting third in the West. In their most recent win against the Trail Blazers, they did not have James, Dončić, or Reaves, but the rest of the team stepped up, with Rui Hachimura scoring 28, Ayton tallying 29 points, 10 rebounds, and Nick Smith Jr., who up until that point played 30 total minutes this season, dropping 25 points and 6 assists.
While this was an impressive win for the Lakers, this cannot become the story of the season, otherwise they will be in massive trouble. Even though they were able to get it done against the Trail Blazers, moving forward, they need to develop chemistry as a unit, which cannot happen if a majority of the team is sidelined.
If the Lakers are already plagued with injuries only eight games into the season, it could mean bad news for the playoffs: assuming they’ll be healthy enough to get there. The physicality of their games will only increase as the season goes on. So, if these Lakers players, however talented they may be, aren’t fully healthy, they won’t have a chance when it counts the most.