The Lakers are already battling with many injuries to important players on their roster just a few weeks into the season. On the injury front, there was both good and bad news in Friday’s come-from-behind victory over the Phoenix Suns.

LeBron James was driving to the basket when he was fouled by Kevin Durant at the 4:22 mark of the first quarter. After the play, James appeared to be hobbling and having difficulty putting weight on his left leg. During the game, the injury appeared to be particularly alarming because there appeared to be no impact in that region to produce an injury. And, considering James’ age, a catastrophic injury may be career-ending.

Thankfully, James was able to brush it off and continue to be his superstar self, finishing with 32 points on 11-16 shooting and a team-high 36 minutes played. After the game, James went into depth about what happened on that play that made him uncomfortable.

“I was driving and awkwardly (hit) KD’s knee and, at the force I was going, it went right into my shin which pretty much locked up right then and there and shot down to my foot.” James stated. “So I just tried to keep my cool, make sure I was okay, and try to keep it as stretched out and loose as possible so I could play the game and be effective.” Obviously, I’m really sore right now since the adrenaline is settling down. I’ve iced it and everything, so it’s very sore now.”

This team’s potential plummets if James is not healthy and available. The Lakers sought to limit James’ minutes in order to alleviate the strain on his 38-year-old physique. That hasn’t been the case thus far.

James is playing 35 minutes per game this season, up from 35.5 previous season. To me, that does not appear to be an emphasis on a minute reduction. So, while it appears that James will be fine after his injury last night, it will be something to keep an eye on in the coming games and a reminder of how fragile things are for James and the Lakers. If he gets injured, Los Angeles’ chances of winning the championship this season are jeopardized.

Anthony Davis is the only player on this team that is even remotely as valuable as James. Davis returned for the Lakers’ first NBA in-season tournament game, after missing the most of the second half against the Heat and the game against the Rockets due to a hip spasm.

He finished the night with 18 points and 11 rebounds, tying him for the most minutes on the Lakers with 36. Davis felt there was a transition period early on, despite the strong performance.

 

“It took some time to kind of get into the game just with the shots and stuff, just trying not to aggravate it,” Davis said following the game. “But once the game started, I just stopped thinking about it and started playing.” I felt it a few times during the game, but for the most part, everything’s fine.”

 

While supporters can exhale after surviving injury scares and finally celebrating a road victory, things aren’t all bright in Southern California. These are without a doubt the two most essential players on the Lakers’ roster, and the fact that they are already suffering with ailments while playing the most minutes is troubling. This lineup was designed to be built around the two studs, allowing them to win without exerting Herculean efforts.

 

They’ve had to do it in almost every victory on this 4-5 start. Hopefully, as the team nears full health and guys like Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves find their rhythm and place, the vision of what this roster was expected to be accomplished. For the time being, it’s wonderful that the Lakers won and that both stars look to be fine.