Lakers Injury Report: LeBron James’ fitness in question despite crucial star’s return ahead of 76ers clash

The Los Angeles Lakers is hosting to the Philadelphia 76ers (37-32) on Friday, March 22, 2024, at 10:30 PM ET. The 76ers are on a three-game losing streak on the road. Lakers and 76ers were ahead by 9 points before the game. They won’t have LeBron James or a few other players, though.

James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) is reported as “questionable”. As planned, Cam Reddish (sprained right ankle) is no longer on the illness report and will be “back soon”. Lakers youngster Jalen Hood-Schifino is also out because the team said he had surgery on his back.

The fact that Reddish will be back for L.A. is good news, nevertheless. He hurt his ankle on January 23. And because of it he has only been able to participate in four of the Lakers’ last 23 matches.

Getting a good wing defender like Reddish back into the mix is very helpful for the Lakers as they prepare for some tough games, starting on Friday night against Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers.

Since each match is very important, both James and Davis will likely be able to compete through their injuries. The Lakers have only played twice in the past week and haven’t played since Monday. 

This has given the players a chance to get some much-needed rest so they can be fit and ready for the end of the normal season.

Apart from LeBron James of the Lakers what other players not attending the season 

When the 76ers play on Friday, they won’t have Joel Embiid because he is still healing from knee surgery. This is good for the Lakers. After losing to the 76ers on the road, the Lakers have a splendid chance to get back at them. Philadelphia hasn’t been a comparable team without him.

Other Lakers players than LeBron James are still out with injuries. Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Colin Castleton, and Jarred Vanderbilt are among them. There is still no set date for when they will be back.

This season might be over for Wood because he just had surgery on his knee. Whereas, despite their inability to play, Vincent and Vanderbilt seem to be making improvement.

Gabe Vincent and Jared Vanderbilt’s status

Lakers players Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent will sit out the remainder of the tournament, according CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter. Having had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Wood will reportedly be sidelined for a few weeks, according to ESPN.

Unless the Lakers manage to go far enough in the season, losing all of their key players will severely diminish their strength. This includes missing the play-in games and the playoffs. Los Angeles is in ninth place in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Golden State Warriors, with thirteen games remaining in the season.

The knee injury that sidelined Vincent since October 30th has kept him out of action until this week when he finally received clearance to resume non-contact activities. At that moment, it seemed quite unlikely that he would return.

This season, Vanderbilt has been out with a mid-foot sprain since February 1. There was hope that he could come back at some point.

Although nothing is official, yet this is bad news for the Lakers, who require a play-in to make the playoffs.

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