The Los Angeles Lakers will need all hands on deck for their upcoming series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Fortunately, according to the latest injury report, only two players are compromised for Game 1 at the Target Center: LeBron James and Maxi Kleber.
James is listed as probable for the game with a left hip flexor strain, but he’ll almost surely be in uniform for tomorrow’s opening playoff battle. After skipping the Trail Blazers game, James is coming off seven days of rest, and he should be feeling fresh to begin the first round. Although James is not at 100%, he may still have some lingering issues from the groin injury that kept him out for several weeks earlier this season.
In 70 games, the 4x champion averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. He played all but 12 games for the Purple and Gold this season, and he will give everything to take the Lakers as far as he can. At this stage of his career, however, the Lakers are not willing to put his long-term durability at risk, and it’s why they had to leave the door open for him to miss Game 1 tomorrow.
At 40 years old, with a potential championship on the line, the Lakers are not taking any chances when it comes to LeBron’s health. If he’s feeling bad enough, the Lakers will not hesitate to bench him to preserve his health for the long run, even if it costs them a game in the first round.
The situation with Maxi Kleber is much less clear. The veteran big man has yet to make his Lakers debut after getting surgery on his right foot. He’s been in recovery since late January, and there is no timetable set for his return. According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, he hasn’t even been cleared to play yet.
“No update,” wrote Buha. “Team maintains status quo that he’s participating in practice but not cleared to return yet.”
At 50-32, the Lakers are in a good position going into the 2025 postseason. Since the Luka Doncic trade, the Lakers have been one of the best offensive teams in the league with an average of 115.9 points per game, but it’s the defense that will make or break their season.
Without Anthony Davis, the Lakers don’t have the size or depth in the frontcourt to keep up with bigger teams. In the case of the Timberwolves, the combination of Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle will pose major problems for the Lakers and will make it tough for them to establish any kind of presence under the rim.
As always, the game will be determined by LeBron James and Luka Doncic, who have been building up their chemistry for months. Still, it’s Austin Reaves who will be the x-factor in this series, and his shot-making on the perimeter will be key to maintaining their offense.
In the end, only time will tell how the Lakers stack up against the young Timberwolves, but there is faith that they can pull off something special this season with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves leading the way.
