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Coming off their first loss of the young season against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers received a bit of bad news after both backcourt starters, guards Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell, were added to the team's injury report for their Wednesday matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Russell (low back soreness) is questionable, and Reaves (left thigh contusion) is probable.
The backcourt duo showed great chemistry, which Russell spoke about after the Lakers won over the Sacramento Kings.
“We complement each other the best we can. I have a great feel for where he’s at and where he’s gonna be, and vice versa,” Russell said. “I think that’s an advantage that we have. We spend a lot of time with each other off the court, it carries over to our advantage when we’re on the court.”
The Lakers did receive good news about Christian Koloko's potential return. He's been stuck in limbo, waiting for approval from the league's fitness-to-play panel. The panel finally cleared him to participate, which allows him to attend Lakers practices.
Should Reaves or Russell be unable to play against the Cavs, Bronny James is likely to play against Cleveland, which means the rookie will get more minutes.
Lakers building confidence for 2024-25 season
Entering Year 22, James' seems to have found a second wind. Or maybe this is a third of fourth wind after so many years. Many are already observing a new dialed-in energy for LeBron in having his son on the team.
“LeBron is loving this,” a source close to the Lakers said. “He's been doing this a long time and eventually, these early-season stretches get kind of monotonous. But with him focused on setting an example for Bronny, he's more dialed in now than he's ever been since he got here.”
The source isn't the only one to have taken notice.
“People don't understand how difficult it is to be away from family as much as NBA players have to be,” a Western Conference scout explained. “You have road trips that literally take them to different states or even countries. But you also have hours and hours and hours of practice time that takes these mostly young guys away from their young families.
“Bron has been doing this for 22 years. He's had to miss a lot to maintain the level of play we expect of him. Getting to have that connection at work has to be refreshing.”
The Lakers are amid a five-game road trip that began with their recent loss against Phoenix. After playing Cleveland on Wednesday, they play Toronto, Detroit and Memphis over the next week.
