Key Injuries Spell Trouble For Los Angeles Lakers
What do we make of the Los Angeles Lakers right now?
On one side of things, it is easy to just write them off and say that they have no chance to be a playoff threat, but then on the other side of things, you see LeBron James still going strong at 38-years-old and Anthony Davis, who has had some massive performances this season.
Everything for the Lakers comes down to health and right now, that seems to be a big concern for this franchise.
Anthony Davis always seems to be on the injury report with some kind of ailment, as he has now missed the team’s last 10 games due to a mysterious right foot injury, and he will miss his 11th consecutive game on Friday when Los Angeles takes on the Atlanta Hawks.
On top of Davis being out, Troy Brown Jr. is dealing with a quad injury, Austin Reaves has a left hamstring strain and will miss at least the next two weeks and Lonnie Walker IV has been diagnosed with left knee tendinitis and will miss at least the next two weeks.
Davis ranks second on the team in scoring, Walker third, Reaves seventh and Brown eighth.
Los Angeles is missing a ton of production right now and it seems like all they are left with is LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, Patrick Beverley and Thomas Bryant.
To make matters even worse, 13 of their next 16 games are against teams that currently have a winning record.
Currently 17-21 on the season, the Lakers are just 7-16 against teams that currently own a winning record.
They have really struggled defensively this season and without Davis, Walker, Reaves and Brown, the Los Angeles Lakers are missing close to half of their nightly scoring production.
The trade deadline is right around the corner in the NBA and while Los Angeles is expected to be active and throw all of their options on the table, there is almost no interest around the league right now in a trade involving Russell Westbrook and the Lakers have been hesitant to include their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in negotiations.
The Lakers are essentially trapped with what they have right now and what they have right now is an injury-riddled team that has barely found success through the first half of the 2022-23 season.
Time will tell what the future holds for the Lakers, but the only two ways they can possibly remain relevant and in contention for a playoff spot in the Western Conference are if LeBron James continues to have historic performances and if Anthony Davis can not only return, but remain healthy.
These two things however are unlikely factors at this time, making things not look great for the Los Angeles Lakers heading towards a pivotal stretch in their schedule.
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