LeBron James knew injuries would test the Lakers at some point this season, but few expected the avalanche that hit against the Clippers.
With Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent all sidelined, and Luka Doncic exiting at halftime due to a left leg contusion, James found himself as the lone healthy starter trying to steady a depleted roster.
Despite the lopsided loss at Intuit Dome, James refused to use the injuries as an excuse, insisting that the team has no choice but to keep pushing.
“No matter what the circumstance is, it’s still next man up,” James said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “We’re all professionals and we all gotta stay ready. Obviously very challenging circumstances for our ballclub tonight, but at the end of the day, we played extremely hard, we followed our keys. We just came up short.”
Even with a chance late in the game, the Lakers’ offense stalled from long range. James shrugged off the misses and kept the focus on effort.
“We didn’t make shots,” James said. “That happens throughout the course of the season. We had some great looks, we just didn’t make shots. We still gave ourselves a chance to be in the game with how well we defended, our competitive spirit, our competitive nature, and just playing hard.”
James, who poured in 36 points on 15 of 28 shooting in one of his strongest outings this year, made it clear that the group must adapt until bodies return.
“Whatever the game presents itself, we gotta be ready for the challenge,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. The worst thing about sports is injuries. Not just basketball, but sports in general. Control the controllables with what we have out there. Whoever is in uniform, we have to go out and execute at the best pace we can and we have to be on a string and help each other out. That’s what it’s about.”
