Getty Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James
There’s good news and bad news for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. When they travel to take on the Atlanta Hawks, it’s expected that LeBron James will be good to go after missing games on-and-off due to load management. On the opposite side, the Lakers may be without two bigs for this game in Mike Muscala and Tyson Chandler.
James is currently listed as probable for this game, but both Muscala and Chandler are questionable after missing shootaround, as Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group revealed.
Mike Muscala has a sprained right ankle from the last game. He’s QUESTIONABLE. Tyson Chandler is also QUESTIONABLE with a big toe sprain.
Neither participated in shootaround.
With the expectation that at least one of the two could miss this game, it points to either JaVale McGee or possibly Moritz Wagner seeing some extended work. Much of that will depend on game flow, but following the trade of Ivica Zubac, McGee would be the only legitimate center available here.
We’re going to take a look at the Lakers roster and starting lineup for Tuesday night against the Hawks, which features a few big question marks.
Lakers Roster & Lineup vs. Hawks
| Position | Expected Starter | Backup | |
| Center | JaVale McGee | ||
| Power Forward | Kyle Kuzma | Mike Muscala | Moritz Wagner |
| Small Forward | LeBron James | Josh Hart | |
| Shooting Guard | Reggie Bullock | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Lance Stephenson |
| Point Guard | Brandon Ingram | Rajon Rondo |
UPDATE: Tyson Chandler is out, Mike Muscala available to play.
One interesting topic from last game was the team’s decision to start Reggie Bullock over Rajon Rondo. In turn, it led to Bullock playing 31 minutes but scoring just two points with three assists and two blocks while Rondo was on the floor for 16 minutes and didn’t score.
The decision to move Rondo out of the first unit was somewhat head-scratching, and the Lakers were rolled over by the new-look Philadelphia 76ers 143-120. There’s a chance head coach Luke Walton could go back to Rondo with the first unit and possibly have Bullock act as one of the first players off the bench.
UPDATE: The Lakers will start the above roster with Reggie Bullock still in the first five.
This will be a talking point ahead of the game, but beyond that, how the minutes of Chandler and Muscala are divvied up if they’re out is worth monitoring. Both players totaled 13 minutes last game and the bulk of Chandler’s would likely go to Wagner with a few possibly heading in McGee’s direction.
As far as Muscala goes, the Lakers could opt to play small-ball lineups more against the Hawks. This would open up additional minutes for Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rondo. We’ll have to wait on the final word, but the Lakers may feature a shorthanded frontline in this matchup.
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