Just when it appeared as if the Lakers were a true contender for an NBA Finals run this season, devastating news hit the franchise in the form of an injury to LeBron James. And more trouble could be on the way as Los Angeles has now dropped down to fourth in the West with James out with an Achilles injury.
The value of James was most evident in the Lakers’ 126-106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. In that game, the Los Angeles wasted a monster performance from the newly acquired Luka Doncic, who was brought in to carry the torch whenever James retires as much as help the current team. Doncic recoded a double-double, scoring scored 45 points in 36 minutes while also adding 11 rebounds and three assists. He wasn’t the only Laker to have a big game either.
Austin Reaves scored 28 points in the same amount of time with eight boards and three helpers of his own. But 73 combined points from two players still wasn’t enough to even hang with a Bucks team that had lost three straight entering the game.
Prior to James’ injury, which he suffered on Saturday against the Celtics, the Lakers had won eight of nine and climbed all the way up to the No. 2 seed position. But they are now 0-2 since without James.
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The combination of James, 40, and the much-younger Doncic, 26, looked unstoppable at times. Since the trade that shocked the NBA world when the Lakers sent Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic, James scored more than 30 points five times and surpassed 20 in 12 games before the injury. While some wondered if playing with another ball dominant player could hamper the production of the NBA's all-time leading scorer, he was still finding ways to score and even trying to defer to Doncic to get him involved as well.
The two super-stars looked like a perfect fit. The only thing that could derail them was an injury, and that’s exactly what happened. And while it’s remarkable James has been able to stay mostly healthy and play as well as he has in recent years at his age, something that’s unparalleled in NBA history, his current absence could send the Lakers down a path to make a postseason path through the Western Conference more difficult.
Los Angeles is only a game ahead of Houston and has both the surging Warriors and Timberwolves nipping on their heels. With a matchup with Denver scheduled for Friday night, Los Angeles has an opportunity to catapult back into third, but a loss could send the Lakers tumbling further down the standings.
Fortunately, reports indicate James is progressing well — he left the team on their current road trip to return to Los Angeles for treatment. However, after a couple favorable matchups against the likes of the struggling Suns and injury-riddled Spurs, the Lakers will meet the Nuggets and Bucks a second time within the next week.
So with the schedule not doing Los Angeles any favors and their supporting cast unable to provide enough support, James’ injury could shift the focus back on next season.