Lakers Return to Action Against Charlotte

The All-Star break has ended, which means Laker basketball as LA welcomes the Charlotte Hornets to Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers will be looking to build momentum in the second half of the season and prepare for attempt a deep playoff run.

Managing LeBron

LeBron James missed the All-Star game on Sunday to manage the ongoing foot issue that he has been dealing with for a long while now. Shams Charania of ESPN reported earlier this week that the Lakers are considering resting him against Charlotte and Portland to extend his break. He is officially listed as questionable for tonight.

The Lakers need to find the right balance between resting LeBron and allowing him and to build chemistry with Luka, given that they have not played much together since the trade. Tonight’s game is also the first of a back-to-back before the Lakers begin a tough stretch of games, beginning on the road in Denver. How LA will mange LeBron’s minutes – even if he plays – will be something to monitor.

Valuable Rotation

Before the All-Star game, the Lakers suffered a disappointing loss in Utah, but they were missing some key rotation places such as Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith. Their defense has vastly improved since the acquisition of Finney-Smith, and we’re seeing the value Gabe Vincent brings on both ends of the court after he was injured for the majority of last season.

Importantly for the Lakers, their other key rotation players all are players who can be valuable in the post season and have experience being involved in deep playoff runs. Tip off is at 7PM PST as the Lakers return from the All-Star break to take on the Hornets.