Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are slated to have both LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the floor for their Christmas Day matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin. The tandem released the report on Tuesday afternoon.
James sat out the Lakers’ last game against the Denver Nuggets due to a thoracic muscle strain and discomfort in his groin, causing him to miss his first game of the season. However, Davis also suffered an injury, tweaking his knee during the 128-104 loss to the Nuggets this past Sunday.
Per Woj and McMenamin, James and Davis orchestrated a morning practice on Christmas Eve to prepare for Wednesday’s matchup against the Clippers. Lakers coach Frank Vogel shared that not being able to practice has contributed to their current three-game losing streak.
“We went a 10-day trip without a single practice, really,” Vogel said Monday. “One shootaround, I think. Sometimes that benefits your legs, but usually, it leads to a little bit of slippage in your execution and togetherness, particularly on the defensive end.”
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Magic Johnson Thinks LeBron James Is MVP Thus Far
Over the weekend, Lakers Legend Magic Johnson was interviewed by TMZ Sports as he was leaving Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, California. The media outlet asked Johnson if James’ son Bronny could surpass him down the line.
“I think so,” Johnson told TMZ Sports. “You hope so, anyway. Normally what happens is sometimes with all that skill and talent that LeBron has, it passes to his son.”
“I think that he has a chance to be unbelievable and either just as good as his dad or a little better. But, that’s big shoes to fill, though. LeBron is playing awesome right now. MVP of [the] league right now.”
James is averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 10.6 assists per game with the Lakers through 29 games.
Earlier this season, Lakers coach Frank Vogel weighed in on James’ leadership and his dedication to the defensive side of the ball.
“Whatever the history is (between Phil Handy and James), LeBron has been a leader,” Vogel told Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“To me, the best leaders are the ones that follow the lead of the coach. Forgetting the history and all that, he’s been great since I’ve been here. I’ve tried to present a vision of a style of play that makes sense, that fits our personnel, and he has kind of gotten behind that.”
On December 15, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shared how James has changed since losing to the Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals.
“He has gone Hollywood,” said Cuban. “I think LeBron’s greatest growth has come off the court. He was a confident but unsure kid when he came into the league, and now he is a social icon. There have been a lot of great players who haven’t chosen to take that route or were unable to take that route.”
“LeBron has done it by having good people around him but also picking his spots. I think what sets LeBron James apart from a lot of socially conscious athletes is he knows when to wait for his pitch, and he knows when to swing. ”
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