The Los Angeles Lakers stumbled out of the gate Tuesday night, falling 119-109 to their division rivals, the Golden State Warriors, in their season opener.
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The Lakers looked far from a title-contending team throughout the first game of the season, largely due to the absence of their superstar forward, LeBron James.
James did not play in the season opener, and that will remain the case for the next few weeks as he recovers from sciatica on his right side.
The 40-year-old superstar, however, was in attendance on the Lakers bench. James sat at the end of the bench, but many on social media were not fans of the lack of enthusiasm from James.
That was a big topic after the game. However, there was nothing to cheer about when it came to the Lakers and that contest. Still, while that was a topic of conversation, Lakers insider Jovan Buha did provide an update on the vibes surrounding James’ situation with the team.
Buha stated that the vibes have not been as good as they should be, given the current situation.
"Yeah, I mean I don't wanna play armchair psychologist here, so I'm - I wanna refrain from too much speculation," Buha said. "But the vibes with that situation have not been the best, I'll say. So, again, I don't really wanna go too much down that road, but yeah, I mean, I thought there were times just looking at the huddle or looking at the bench that he wasn't as engaged as he typically is when he's out.
"You just never know what some - someone's having a bad day or something's going - whatever. You don't wanna project onto people what you think they are feeling or acting like. But just in the observations I made of the body language, was not great, and I do think it was a bit different than what it has been in the past in this same situation of him being out."
Following the news that James would miss time due to his injury, a report was released indicating that James would use this period to evaluate the roster. So far, that appears to be the case as he is set to enter his 23rd season in the league soon.
It is clear that James wants that fifth title before it is all said and done. So far, it appears that the Lakers are not in a position to do just that.
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