Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James joked abut the recent foot injury that sidelined him for a game.
“It’s called old,” James said following Monday’s 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
He added that “you just wake up with s–t that you didn’t have the night before.”
James missed Los Angeles’ 133-121 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans last Sunday. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves combined for 67 points in the contest to earn a seventh win in a row.
That result was the Lakers’ season in a nutshell to some extent.
James missed L.A.’s first 14 games because of sciatica. Rather than spell doom, his absence allowed Dončić and particularly Reaves to shine as the Lakers were a solid 10-4 before the 21-time All-Star made his season debut.
Dončić is averaging 35.3 points on 47.8 percent shooting along with 8.9 rebounds and 8.9 assists. He’s benefiting from having had a full offseason to acclimate to Southern California and train with his teammates.
Reaves, who’s eligible for free agency after this year, is playing his way into a massive contract. He’s scoring 28.1 points per contest and dropped 51 in an October win over the Sacramento Kings.
It largely goes without saying James is instrumental to the Lakers’ championship ambitions. Managing his workload will go a long way toward ensuring he’s at his best when the postseason rolls around.
A serious injury to James would be a major problem. Based on how Los Angeles has started the campaign, missing him for a game or two shouldn’t impact the team as much as it would’ve in a past season.
