LeBron James says that life without Anthony Davis will be "very challenging" for the Los Angeles Lakers. James spoke about Davis's absence following the team's 124-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day.
"Reality is, without AD, we lose a lot of length which we don't have already," James explained. "So we have to make up in ways that, without AD, is very difficult, very challenging. So, I think at one point we had a lineup of I think [Austin Reaves] was the tallest guy on the court."
James continued: "So, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out [that Davis is sorely missed]."
Davis is currently out of the lineup while nursing a stress fracture in his right foot. Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reports that the team will reevaluate his health in two weeks.
"You throw everything up against the wall and see what sticks, " Lakers coach Darvin Ham explained. "It's one of those types of situations. AD's not here, not in the lineup. We're not going to start using that as an excuse. Hell yeah, it's a big hole in our lineup. But now, we're pros. We've got to step up."
For the Lakers' Christmas Day loss, LeBron James finished with 38 points on 13-for-23 shooting. He has now played in the most Christmas Day games in NBA history with 17.
The Lakers have dropped four straight games in Davis' absence. The team is now 13-20 on the season, leaving them at 13th in the Western Conference standings.
[Via]