For Tuesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers have designated LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) as doubtful and Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy) as probable.
With no specific comeback date in sight, Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Colin Castleton, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Jarred Vanderbilt are still out due to their injuries.
James had therapy for his broken ankle over the All-Star break, but he was unable to play in the team’s first post-break game against the Golden State Warriors. Since then, he has been listed as injured, and even though he has been able to participate in every game save for the team’s home game versus the Bucks, it is obvious that LeBron’s ankle is not fully recovered.
With just 11 regular season games left, the Lakers are embarking on a six-game road trip, so the timing isn’t ideal. They want to climb up the Western Conference standings, which makes this road trip even more important. They are currently in ninth position.
It is hoped, though, that James’ decision to miss the Bucks game indicates he is prepared for Wednesday’s back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies. It makes sense that LeBron is sitting out two nights in a row to protect his ankle at this point in the season and in his career.
However, it implies that the Lakers are giving up on the Bucks in favor of defeating the Grizzlies, one of the poorest teams in the NBA. Though the Lakers defeated Milwaukee in Los Angeles last week without James, maybe other players will stand up on Tuesday to repeat that feat.
LeBron James willing to ‘pick my spots’ in tough defensive matchups for Lakers
LeBron James has occasionally been forced to guard the greatest player on the opposition team while starting defenders like Jarred Vanderbilt and others are sidelined due to injuries. Recent instances of it are Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, and James stated he is prepared to “pick my spots” when facing challenging defensive matchups.
It’s amazing that James is occasionally willing to accept the task of guarding opposing players for 48 minutes in order to support the Lakers in the latter stages of the season. But the most essential thing is to get his ankle as near to 100% as possible. For that reason, it appears he will miss the Lakers’ opening away game in Milwaukee.