Lakers Upgrade Injury Status for Three Key Players Ahead of Hornets Matchup

The All-Star break festivities are over, and it's time for the Los Angeles Lakers to get back to business. They still have to get Luka Doncic comfortable with the current roster since making that league-altering trade.

Coming into the All-Star break, the Lakers had quite a few players who needed to get some rest in order to get healthy. While LeBron James was the only player who was at All-Star weekend, and he ended up not playing in the game.

Health is now the biggest issue that the Lakers have to combat. They have a few guys who are injury-prone that need to stay healthy in order for them to make a run at a title.

The Lakers are especially thin at the center spot after the Mark Williams trade fell through. Jaxson Hayes is the starting center, and is one of the players who benefitted from some rest.

He and two other players will now be available for Wednesday night's game against the Hornets, which is the first game back after the break.

JJ Redick says Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith will be available tomorrow vs. Charlotte.
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) February 19, 2025

Having Hayes available is big because they only have Alex Len as a center in the rotation. This means they can have a normal rotation at the center spot.

Gabe Vincent has been plagued by injuries ever since signing with the Lakers last year. He has played in just 55 games over the last two seasons, so having him healthy is good.

Dorian Finney-Smith is the first player that the Lakers traded for, trading D'Angelo Russell in order to acquire him. They need his defensive prowess more than ever now that Doncic is on the roster.

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Heading into the All-Star break, the Lakers were on a hot streak. They won 10 of their last 12 games. They hope that the break won't stop their momentum.

Having Doncic fully available now can also help them pick up some steam. They are currently fifth in the Western Conference standings.

So far this season, Vincent is averaging 5.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Hayes is averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and one assist per game. Finney-Smith is averaging 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.

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