The Los Angeles Lakers listed LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) as questionable and Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy) as probable for Tuesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Colin Castleton, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Jarred Vanderbilt all remain out with their respective injuries with no set timetable for a return.
James received treatment on his injured ankle during the All-Star break and was forced to miss the team’s first game against the Golden State Warriors. He’s been on injured reserve ever since, and while he’s been able to play every game except the team’s home game against the Bucks, it’s clear that LeBron’s ankle isn’t. 100%.
The timing certainly isn’t ideal considering the Lakers are embarking on a six-game road trip with just 11 regular season games remaining. They currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with their sights set on moving up, making this road trip all the more crucial.
The hope, however, is that James doesn’t play in the Bucks game, meaning he’s set to play the second end of a back-to-back Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. At this stage of the season and his career, it makes sense that LeBron would not play two nights in a row in order to protect his ankle.
But that means the Lakers have a priority of beating the Grizzlies, who are one of the worst teams in the league, as opposed to the Bucks. The Lakers managed to beat Milwaukee without James last week in Los Angeles, so maybe some other guys will step up on Tuesday and make that happen for the second time.
LeBron James ready to ‘pick my spot’ in tough defensive matchups for Lakers
With ace defenders like Jarred Vanderbilt and others injured, LeBron James has at times been tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player. Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard are recent examples, and James has said he ready to “pick my spots” with tough defensive matchups.
Although James can’t guard opposing stars for 48 minutes, it’s great that he’s willing to take on that challenge at times to help the Lakers throughout the season. However, the most important thing is getting his ankle closer to 100%, which is why it appears he will miss the first game of the Lakers’ road trip to Milwaukee.
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