After closing their road trip with a loss, LeBron James spoke on the Lakers’ current situation and the injuries they are battling.
The Lakers are in an all-too-familiar space this season. Injuries have them in a tight spot as they struggle through a mid-December slump.
The only real difference is last year’s struggles came after the In-Season Tournament while this season’s precede the final with the purple and gold already out of the running to defend their title. That was ever apparent on Friday as the Lakers fell in Atlanta to the Hawks.
Needing LeBron James and Anthony Davis to be perfect to win, the Lakers fell late after notable mistakes from the pair. After the contest, LeBron spoke about where the Lakers are and how little wiggle room they have.
“We have about five guys in our top 11 not in uniform,” LeBron said. “We’re mix-matching with lineups, we’re trying to figure out ways [to get over the hump], obviously. We don’t have much room for error. I said that at the beginning of the season.
“So, when you have…[Austin Reaves] out, Vando out, [Christian Wood] has not played this year, Jaxson [Hayes]. It’s big pieces. So, I don’t know as far as what will help us get over the hump, we just have to not drown. Don’t drown and we’ll be alright.”
If this feels like the type of quote LeBron gave last season, then you’re not alone. Last year, the Lakers battled injuries throughout the year and never stopped citing that as a reason for their struggles all the way until they exited the playoffs.
On one hand, then, it’s not exactly encouraging or comforting as fan to hear the same excuses once again. At a certain point, fans are going to lose patience and are going to just want players to get on with it, fair or foul.
On the other hand, though, if injuries were a problem last season, then shouldn’t the front office have gone into this season looking to address depth concerns to mitigate that as an issue again?
Injuries have absolutely been an issue for the Lakers this season. I don’t expect the players to ignore that or not cite that. I do expect the front office to have done something about it, though, and that’s where the frustration should be directed.
The problem the Lakers face now is that they are, at best, a week away from help coming via trade and, more likely, months away from a solution. The quicker hope is that the team finally gets healthy, something that barely feels more encouraging.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
