LOS ANGELES — Ninety minutes before tip-off, a reporter asked Clippers coach Ty Lue: What kind of problems does LeBron James pose at center?
Lue was wearing a mask, but the corners of his mouth drew up in what could only be a sly grin as he responded: “LeBron at any position is a problem.”
Just 48 hours earlier, Lue and his staff had every reason to think James was going to miss Friday’s game. But when he was released from the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols on Thursday afternoon, things changed in a flash – not just for Lue, his former coach, but for the Lakers themselves.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said he had been informed before Thursday afternoon that James’ comeback could be nigh, but he tried to proceed as if James could still miss the game. COVID test results, as James learned from his false positive on Tuesday, can be a tricky thing to put faith in. But as soon as the news came in, the Lakers shifted.
“He was back, so obviously we were all excited,” Vogel said. “And we started just adjusting where we were at from a game-plan standpoint to include him in it.”
Vogel said James was present at the team’s morning meeting, but he declined to divulge details in his pregame press conference of how James reacted to being back with the team. From an early first quarter fast-break dunk, it seemed safe to assume that James was excited to hit the court again.
It was just James’ 12th game out of 24 for the Lakers this season. He came into the game averaging nearly 37 minutes per game, well above the norm thanks to several overtime affairs, but his total game count is down: James hasn’t played more than three consecutive games for the Lakers so far this season due to injury, a one-game suspension and COVID-19 protocols.
Vogel said the Lakers were being attentive on a case-by-case basis, trying to monitor James’ readiness each game, especially closely after long overtime games that have been frequent this season.
“The totality is less of a concern than if you play him in an overtime game, do you play him the next night? Do you take precaution in those instances?” he said. “It’s just something that we monitor in all instances, and we rely on the medical team for feedback on how he’s doing, and make smart decisions.”
HORTON-TUCKER GETS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY
Thanks in part to Avery Bradley’s thumb injury, the Lakers started Talen Horton-Tucker, hoping for a rally from their 21-year-old, third-year wing. Horton-Tucker started hot after returning from thumb surgery, but in his last seven games entering Friday night, he had only scored in double figures once, and had looked shaky in other areas.
After paying Horton-Tucker in the offseason, the Lakers are looking for him to take a leap, especially on defense. While Horton-Tucker’s injury has lengthened the timeline the Lakers want to use to evaluate him on defense, the goal, Vogel said, is for him to be able to take on tough assignments on defense – such as Clippers All-Star Paul George on Friday night.
“He’s done some really good things on-ball, and he needs to work on not getting screened, and then obviously containing against some of the elite players,” he said. “But overall he’s got really good defensive instincts, and good toughness, length that he can use to deflect the ball.”
