To the surprise of very few, the Lakers look set to be without LeBron James for the entire preseason.
LeBron did not practice with the team during the first week of preseason and was only a “modified” participant
on Tuesday. Head coach JJ Redick already said at the start of training camp that the team would be cautious with him, which appears to mean he won’t play in the preseason.
On Tuesday, Shams Charnia of ESPN reported that LeBron would be out for the entire preseason, but is expected to play on Opening Night.
In year 23, there really isn’t much of a need for LeBron to take part in the preseason. The biggest benefit would be building chemistry with his teammates, but that isn’t something that can exclusively be built in the preseason. He’ll have games in the regular season to do so and the team isn’t starting at zero in that regard, either.
It’s a very new approach for LeBron and the Lakers. In the past, he’s been against load management. However, at this stage in his career and given how each of his previous seasons have featured him injured or not near 100% at the end, it makes sense for the Lakers and LeBron to try something new this year.
So, the Lakers are taking it slow this season, which means LeBron likely won’t be playing in any exhibition games. If it pays off with him being healthy come the postseason, it’s an easy bet to make.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
