For the second season in a row, injuries to key players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis were a big reason the Los Angeles Lakers fell short of expectations.
Unfortunately, one member of the team’s training staff will not be around anymore to treat or prevent such maladies.
Via Lakers Daily:
“The team fired Frank Vogel earlier in April, and it is now being reported that Judy Seto, a longtime member of the Lakers’ training staff, is no longer with the team.
“’Judy Seto, a longtime presence within the Lakers training staff, is no longer with the team after her contract expired, sources with knowledge told The Times,’ wrote Dan Woike.
“Seto had been serving as the team’s director of sports performance since 2019. She also served as L.A.’s head physical therapist from 2011 to 2016 and worked closely with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant before that. Her ties to the organization date back to the 1990s.
“The Lakers reportedly won’t be replacing Seto in her role, and head athletic trainer Roger Sancho will continue to lead that department.”
Key injuries have been a problem for the Lakers going back a really long time. Even during their dynastic runs in the 1980s and 2000s, stars and superstars getting hurt cost them at least a couple of NBA championships.
Ever since Gary Vitti, who had been their lead trainer since the mid-1980s, retired in 2016, there has been significant turnover in that position.
This is the third time in four seasons that Rob Pelinka and Kurt Rambis' front office has fired the person at the top of their training staff: Marco Nuñez (2019) and Nina Hsieh (2021) are the others. https://t.co/FTjwvSZK7L
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) April 27, 2022
Needless to say, keeping everyone on the roster healthy will be integral to the Lakers’ hopes of becoming an elite team again next season, especially since LeBron James continues to grow older and Anthony Davis is injury-prone.
