The King might be riding pine.
Tonight at Crypto.com Arena, your 17-17 Los Angeles Lakers’ standard rotation could be severely depleted against the frisky Miami Heat (19-14).
Dave McMenamin of ESPNΒ reports that LA All-Star point forward LeBron James is considered merely questionable to suit up against Miami, due to what’s listed as a non-COVID-19 illness.
James may not get to play against the club he took to four straight NBA Finals appearances (and two consecutive titles in 2013 and ’14).
At 39, James is the NBA’s oldest current player. But he hardly looks it. As the leader of a .500 West play-in contender (Los Angeles is currently the ninth seed), the 19-time All-Star is averaging 25.4 points (good for 17th in the league) on .535/.409/.749 shooting splits, 7.4 rebounds (32nd in the NBA), 7.4 assists (10th), 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks a night across 34.2 minutes. He seems like a shoo-in to make a record-breaking 20th All-Star appearance next month.
Losing James would obviously be a huge shift for Los Angeles. Should Cam Reddish’s groin injury allow it, he may get another shot inΒ coach Darvin Ham’s starting lineup.
If James does sit, he won’t be the only player out of Ham’s rotation to be riding pine.
Ex-Heat point guard Gabe Vincent, who started for Miami during its run to the 2023 NBA Finals, will be on the shelf for the next two months following surgery to treat a left knee effusion.
