Despite being among the most popular NBA franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers hold a 2-8 record against the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, prior to their regular season win in March, LeBron James and Co. hadn’t won against the Eastern Conference franchise since March of 2020! Therefore, with both teams set to have their first regular season matchup of the ongoing tournament, the LA franchise will be looking to put their best foot forward. Unfortunately, it will be hard to do so with one of their key players still benched.

According to the Lakers Injury Report by ESPN, Anthony Davis is listed as day-to-day for the upcoming matchup. This means the coaches won’t make the final decision to include him in the main lineup until a few hours before the game. If this update didn’t make the situation any more worrisome, Lakers fans will also have to deal with the fact that both Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura are also listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood, both of whom are yet to play a game this season, remain out.

LA fans are no strangers to Anthony Davis’ “injury-prone” reputation, so while his recent injury might not be surprising, it’s certainly disappointing. The Lakers revealed that Davis is dealing with plantar fasciitis. As Shams Charania put it: “This is a nagging foot injury for him. Heel injury that he’s been dealing with since the end of last season.” Although ESPN reports “there isn’t anything structurally wrong” with his foot, Davis will still need to manage the pain and recovery. Having missed only one game so far, the Lakers may consider benching him for an additional game to allow for more rest.

Meanwhile, Jaxson Hayes is suffering from a left knee soreness. Similarly to Davis, his condition isn’t anything serious. Therefore, the inclusion of the backup center also remains a game-time decision. Rui Hachimura’s updated status is a welcome sign. After all, he was listed in the out category prior to the Memphis Grizzlies matchup. Given that the power forward was suffering from illness, his availability against the 76ers has a much better chance of happening when compared to Davis and Hayes.

The 76ers’ situation is also challenging. Although Joel Embiid is injury-free, he has been suspended following an altercation with reporter Marcus Hayes, sidelining him for upcoming games against the Lakers and Hornets on November 10. Adding to their woes, point guard Tyrese Maxey remains out due to a right hamstring strain, with his next evaluation set for a week from now. On the bright side, Paul George has recovered from his hyperextended knee, making him ready to face LeBron James and the Lakers.

With these updates, both teams will be adjusting their starting lineups for the matchup.

How will the Starting Lineup and Depth Chart for the Lakers-76ers clash look like?

Both Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes may be sidelined. Therefore, the main concern for the Lakers would be to fill the Center position. In such a situation, Christian Koloko may once again see his on-court minutes increase. The tertiary Center’s availability for the ongoing season in itself was under question after details of his ‘blood-clot’ ailment came to light. A dire stage of the condition could have ended the player’s career similarly to Chris Bosh. Fortunately, the Lakers cleared him for playing, and he will continue to be present for the foreseeable future.

Additionally, according to Yard Breaker, the exclusion of Davis, Hayes or Hachimura will go give some additional playtime to Dalton Knecht and/or Cam Reddish. Given how the rookie has performed during his first few games, Knecht will be a welcome sight for fans at the Cryto.Com Arena. Taking all of this into consideration, we expect the starting lineup for the Lakers to look something like this:

Similarly, looking at the updates for the Philadelphia 76ers, analysts expect the franchise’s starting lineup to look something like this:

The Lakers or the 76ers? Who will you be rooting for during the upcoming matchup? Let us know in the comments down below.