LeBron James pointed out what the Lakers are missing after falling to a 114-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
The Los Angeles Lakers stood pat as the NBA trade deadline shut, with the team continuing with the same roster that’s gone 27-26 so far this year. After their 114-106 loss to the Nuggets, LeBron James looked upset in his post-game press conference.
James lamented the poor injury luck the Lakers have been dealt this season, claiming good health with be the key that helps the Lakers climb up the standings.
“Just health… The whole year’s been about health.”
James scored 25 points with nine rebounds and seven assists against the Nuggets, but his disappointing fourth-quarter performance is what most people took away from the game. This was the seventh consecutive win for the Nuggets over the Lakers, showing that the defending champions are just on a different level than LA right now.
The Lakers elected to continue with the same roster when we’ve seen different versions of this team get embarrassed by the Nuggets over the last 12 months. This loss shows that the Lakers could still make a run through the Wets given how competitive they were in this contest, but beating the Nuggets might be a bridge too far for this franchise.
The Reality Of The Lakers Injury Situation
We have heard the Lakers complain about injuries from the start of the season. There is a lot of truth to the complaints as the team’s been without D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt recently. Earlier in the year, Rui Hachimura missed a lot of time as well, along with players like D’Lo, Vando, and Gabe.
The loss against the Nuggets saw the Lakers suffer another injury, as Max Christie had to be subbed out of the game after getting a starting opportunity in the absence of D’Lo, Gabe, and Reddish. They’ve rarely had a consistent rotation on the floor together, which has hurt the chemistry the team was expected to build after their Western Conference Finals run last season.
The positive in this is that Anthony Davis and LeBron have missed a combined 10 games all season long. This is the most available the superstar duo have been in their five-year stint with the Lakers, but they aren’t good enough to lead them to wins. The Lakers have a 24-20 record with both LBJ and AD on the floor.
The point of superstars on a roster is that if they’re available, the team will more often than not be in a winning position. While the Lakers are marginally better than the last two season at this stage, it isn’t filling anyone with confidence. James and AD have had great individual seasons as well, showing that there are flaws elsewhere.
All of the problems the Lakers are facing seem to be coaching-oriented. Every team goes through injuries, and if Darvin Ham can’t cobble together competent lineups with high-performing and healthy superstars, that’s on him. The Lakers are giving him the chance to see out the season, but it’ll be hard for him to hold onto his job if the Lakers miss the playoffs or have a humiliating playoff exit.
