LeBron James, Rui Hachimura upgraded to questionable against Chicago

This past summer, Steve Kerr called Booker the “unsung MVP” of Team USA following its gold medal-winning run at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Booker started every contest and finished with a plus-minus rating of +130 over 11 games, the highest of anyone on the team. Back in 2021, LeBron James, unprompted, expressed a similar sentiment about Booker, tweeting that he was “the most disrespected player in our league” after he was snubbed for the All-Star Game. (He was later named to the team by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as an injury replacement for Anthony Davis.) When Booker was asked if he gets the respect he deserves, he shrugged. “From the people that I respect,” Booker told FOX Sports. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Social media, they can do what they want. When you’re getting claimed that by two Hall of Famers, [including] one, [who’s] arguably the best player to ever live, it means a lot. I developed a good relationship with all those guys through the summer at the Olympics. The respect is real. I can feel it when they talk to me.” -via FoxSports.com / March 21, 2025

Buha added that while there was initial fear among some inside the organization, that concern quickly faded. “I know from talking to some people around the situation there was an initial fear,” Buha also mentioned. “But really, within the first 24 hours, that got stuffed out, and it was clear that LeBron was going to stay. … There certainly was some concern from people around the organization, but it was quickly disproven.” -via BasketNews / March 21, 2025

“I don’t know how much of a worry it was at like the top level of the organization, in terms of the Jeanie-Rob level, but I know in talking to lower level people there in the immediate aftermath of the trade and the situation, there was a sense,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic said on his podcast. “There’s no way LeBron knew [about the trade]. And doing a trade of this magnitude and not giving him the heads up… He’s always been ‘the guy’ since he entered the league,” Buha went on to say. “It’s not that teams have run every decision by him, but something this big — trading AD and essentially reshaping the franchise — you’d expect him to get heads up. “Given his contract situation and Klutch [Sports] potentially losing influence with AD’s departure, some thought it could potentially lead to him asking out or at least exploring that option. Obviously, that did not happen.” -via BasketNews / March 21, 2025

Mark Medina: Lakers coach JJ Redick said that he’s “hopeful” that LeBron James and Rui Hachimura will play on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls -via Twitter @MarkG_Medina / March 20, 2025

Dave McMenamin: Rui Hachimura, who has missed the last eight games with tendinopathy in his left knee, gets up some shots pregame. JJ Redick says Hachimura has been able to play 3-on-3 as part of his ramp up process and his status remains day to day for a return pic.x.com/BW2sR43nMj -via Twitter @mcten / March 19, 2025

Once LeBron is back, what’s the priority on the court for the Lakers the rest of the season? Buha: The priority should be getting the offense on track. Since Dončić’s team debut on Feb. 10, the Lakers rank just 16th in offensive rating. It’s not much better with Dončić and James on the floor together: they rank in the 63rd percentile of offensive lineups, per Cleaning The Glass. Between Dončić, James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers have the foundation to be a top-10, if not top-five offense. If they can reach that ceiling and maintain their top-10 defense (they’re sixth since Dončić’s arrival), they have a legitimate chance to beat anyone in a seven-game series. -via New York Times / March 19, 2025