Home

NBA

Injury Report: Lakers to Miss LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Two More Players in Preseason Opener vs Nets

Published 10/01/2021, 10:37 PM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

The Lakers are undoubtedly the favorites to win the WC this season. They’re the perfect win-now squad that has the potential to make a regular season record if they stay tight as a healthy roster. However, the latest update for the Lake Show raises some questions on this possibility.

The LA-based franchise has one of the best preseason games against the top teams. This would mean a great warmup ahead of a very crucial season. But it looks like the opening game will have their B-Team in charge.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Lakers with no LeBron James and many others

A recent update from the Los Angeles Lakers’ beat reporter Mike Trudell has many of their players sitting out in the opening game. While guard-forward Trevor Ariza has an ankle injury, the other stars are missing the game, probably as a strategy.

So the Lakers will face the Brooklyn Nets on October 3, 2021, at 3:30 PM ET at Staples Center. But even at their home game practice, the fans won’t get to see the trio of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Now, the Nets are already uncertain about whether or not Kyrie Irving would be able to show up. So this would mean that the second quarter onwards, the game will not have too many stars and hence a loss for the fans.

EXCITING! Naomi Osaka To Feature on LeBron James’ Show ‘The Shop’

What can be the reason behind this?

Well, only yesterday LeBron James revealed how the mini-camp has taken a toll on his voice. He stated, “My voice is deteriorating as the minutes go on.” This, because of all the yelling and taking the lead that he did this last week. So chances are that coach Frank Vogel wants him to take enough rest before showing up.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

USA Today via Reuters

Plus, everyone knows how the Lakers are an old squad full of veterans closing their retirement. So they’d have to be very strategic to safeguard against injuries. They can’t risk the regular season because of these scrimmages. However, they can’t dwell too much on this load management or the rankings can take a hit.

This, because their next preseason games are against the GSW and the Suns, against whom they’ll start the regular season. So they’d want to play them before it all begins. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

As a positive, the game against the Nets will put the Lakers bench on test. So are you still excited for the game? Help us know in the comments below. 

Watch this story: The Big Threes from Big Market Teams to Watch Out For

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sourabh Singh

1,739Articles

One take at a time

Sourabh Singh is an NBA sports analyst for EssentiallySports, who has been working with the site since May 2020. Prior to this, he functioned as Managing Editor at WittyFeed, followed by a stint at Decathlon. The Sports Management graduate leads an active lifestyle, veering to the mountains for off-trail adventures.
Show More>