30 days of injury! 7 days of absence! The sky is falling for the Lakers. Two superstars have fallen one after another. The championship is in doubt again?

Edit|Old Kankanqiu

Since the start of the NBA 25-26 season, the performance of many teams has been surprising. The Rockets, which have high hopes after strengthening their shortcomings in the offseason, have already suffered two consecutive losses at the start of the season, and Durant is once again in a difficult situation; the Spurs' new star Bunyama has once again completed the upgrade and currently has three consecutive wins, and is expected to enter the playoffs in the new season; the defending champion Thunder Still solid, with 3 wins and 0 losses without a single loss, Alexander's lethality has improved to a new level, setting NBA historical records; although the Philadelphia 76ers have struggled a bit since Embiid returned from injury, the first-year star Edgecombe has performed well and has shown his superstar status.

Speaking of injuries, the Western Conference giant Lakers seem to have been cursed to start the new season. They have been deeply involved in a wave of injuries recently. First, LeBron James will be injured for at least 3 to 4 weeks (30 days) due to right sciatica. Then, the well-known reporter Shams Charania also reported that Luka Doncic will miss at least a week (7 days, 5-10 games) due to a left finger sprain and a left calf contusion. The two core superstars fell one after another, and the Lakers' championship prospects were instantly shrouded in shadow.

In fact, James accidentally suffered this injury during a training session from the end of July to the beginning of August and has been undergoing treatment for two and a half months. Although the 41-year-old league superstar worked hard to increase training intensity during the offseason, it is clear that his body has not been able to keep up with the demands of returning to the game.

In this regard, Lakers reporter Edwin Garcia analyzed: " It is particularly worth noting that three to four weeks is just the time for the medical team to re-evaluate James. This does not mean that he will be able to return immediately at this time."

A more pessimistic league therapist believes that James is "already old, and any injury, even a minor injury, will cause him to miss the game." They should all be treated with caution, at least they will take longer to recover than others. "

Last season, James, as the team's anchor, still averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1 steal per game. His sudden absence undoubtedly cast a shadow on the team's start to the new season. The Lakers can only rely on Doncic's single-core to carry the championship. Therefore, in the first two regular season games this season, Doncic averaged 38 minutes per game, scoring 46 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists. His shooting percentage was as high as 62%, and he led the team to a difficult record of 1 win and 1 loss.

But as Doncic is consumed on both offense and defense, injuries will naturally come. According to the latest report from Shams, Doncic will miss at least a week due to a left finger sprain (accidentally poked his finger while cutting the ball in the second game) and a left calf contusion (an old injury). This is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the Lakers, who are currently short of major generals.

Injured for 30 days! Truce for 7 days! The sky is falling for the Lakers, two superstars have fallen one after another, and the championship is in doubt again? With James and Doncic both absent, the Lakers' third-in-command Austin Reeves will be forced to carry the team's banner. However, although Reeves did perform well on the offensive end, the problem is that "Reeves' leadership ability does not seem to be that good. He usually plays a complementary role to James and Doncic." Now that he is asked to lead the team alone, the team's prospects are worrying.

This summer, the Lakers management has not done nothing. They signed No. 1 center Ayton and former best defensive player Marcus Smart respectively, and were called "the perfect puzzle for the championship" by the US media. However, through high-level data analysis, it was discovered that these two new players each have serious problems. Ayton "only participated in 95 regular season games in the past two seasons", and his rim protection efficiency only exceeded 53% of the league's centers.

What is even more worrying is his health problem. "In the past two years, he has been sidelined repeatedly due to ankle stress fractures and knee tendonitis, and he has played a maximum of 52 games in a single season." Smart's situation is also not optimistic. In the past two years, he has experienced 7 major injuries such as ankle sprains and torn right index finger tendons, resulting in his lateral movement speed being 0.3 seconds slower than during the Celtics. On the offensive end, Smart's career 32.4% three-point shooting percentage could be a disaster when the Lakers need open shots.

In fact, even when James and Doncic are healthy, the Lakers' championship prospects are still not optimistic by the outside world. According to the updated championship odds from US media ESPN, the Lakers are only 15 to 1 (before Dong Zhan was injured), ranking sixth in the league, far behind the first group competing for the championship; in comparison, the defending champion Thunder's winning odds are 3.4 to 1, leading many teams.

You know, the competition in the Western Conference has become fierce this season. Under the premise that the Thunder and Nuggets form the first echelon of the championship, the Clippers' "new Big Four" and the Rockets' lineup led by Durant can also become potential spoilers. The US media once predicted that the Lakers will rank fourth in the Western Conference with 51 wins and 31 losses, but this is all based on the Lakers' "full attack".

Now, the new season has just begun, and the Lakers are facing a severe test of injuries. Is the road to the championship hanging in the balance?