LeBron James was asked about the team’s progress since they traded for Luka Doncic last year. In his detailed answer, the Los Angeles Lakers forward subtly reminded the reporters that he doesn’t want to chime in on the team’s plans ahead of the trade deadline.
“I can only speak for the group that we have here. We’re 29-19 right now. We’ve had some really good moments, we’ve had some not-so-good moments. We want to continue to build off of that. Me speaking on anything other than that is not my pay grade,” James stated.
“I like this group, but we gotta get better, and that’s good, we should want to get better its only February 1st. We want to get better and better going into 48 games now. It’s a tough Western Conference and a tough league. It’s been tough dealing with injuries, guys in and guys out,” he added.
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a 112-100 defeat against the New York Knicks on Sunday. The 41-year-old James, who was named an NBA All-Star for a record-extending 22 times, finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and six assists on 9-for-15 shooting from the field in 35 minutes.
Los Angeles Lakers News: JJ Redick provides key injury update on Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves has missed 19 consecutive games for the Los Angeles Lakers due to a left calf strain. He was labeled a game-time decision against the New York Knicks on Sunday, but was ultimately ruled out before tipoff.
“He’s day-to-day, game-to-game, however you want to phrase it,” Redick told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “We’ll hopefully have him for Tuesday (against the Brooklyn Nets), but he’s got to feel 100% confident.”
“It’s definitely hard with a calf,” Luka Doncic said about Reaves. “I’ve been through that. It’s not an easy injury. So, we just want him to be healthy. If he’s not ready to come back, don’t come back. But obviously, we’d love to have him out there. We can’t wait for his return.”
