The trade season is starting to heat up with teams across the league working overtime to secure their favored targets. The Los Angeles Lakers led by LeBron James recently made a very interesting signing. They brought in 24-year-old Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards. With his arrival, the team has made sizeable improvements in their wing positions which have cost them games more often than not.
However, not all is well within the Lakers’ camp. According to some sources, James is a doubt for their crucial clash against city rivals Clippers. Although he doesn’t have the best of records against the Clippers, James’ commanding presence is crucial for the team. Moreover, the potential debut game for Hachimura has also been revealed and it could be very soon.
Lakers’ new signing to debut soon amidst LeBron James’ injury woes
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38-year-old LeBron James has played an important role in his team’s successes this season. However, his season has been plagued with injuries.
He currently is a doubt for the game against the Los Angeles Clippers which will be hosted by the Lakers in the Crypto.com Arena. James is put on the injury list by the team but is likely to play.
The Lakers list LeBron James (left ankle soreness) as question tomorrow vs. the Clippers.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 24, 2023
Rui Hachimura will land in LA tonight, undergo his physical tomorrow and could debut against the Spurs on Wednesday.
The four-time NBA champion has dealt with ankle issues this year and ankle soreness is the reason why he might miss the game vs the Clippers. With both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George available for the Clippers, it will be a tough outing for the Lake show.
Amidst a wave of concerning news, the Lakers’ newest acquisition is a silver lining. Rui Hachimura can potentially make his debut against the San Antonio Spurs very soon. He will be undergoing his physical soon which will enable him to be available against the Spurs.
He joined the Lakers with Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks going the other way. Moreover, he will cost the team around $2.9 million in luxury tax. The 24-year-old is averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds and will be a good option for the Lakers to strengthen their team. Interestingly enough, players from within the Lakers’ camp have had mixed reactions to this signing. For instance, Dennis Schroder was devasted to see his friend, Kendrick Nunn, leave the team.
James has been exceptional this season
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King James is defying all the odds this season. Despite being 38 and in his 20th year in the league, he is averaging 29.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists in 37 games during the 2022-23 NBA season.
He is inching closer and closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record. James needs just 224 points to become the All-Time Scoring leader in the NBA beating Abdul-Jabbar. Considering he stays healthy for the majority of the season, LeBron will break the record very soon.
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What are your predictions for the Lakers this season? Let us know in the comments down below.