Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will participate in his 19th NBA All-Star game on Sunday, which is a very impressive accomplishment.
However, given that he has been nursing a left foot ailment lately, there has been speculation that he will be in and out of the midseason classic.
There were rumblings that LeBron James would be in and out for the NBA All-Star Game and would not take part in this weekend’s festivities. It was announced today that LeBron would not be available for today’s NBA All-Star Practice and Media Day but will talk pregame on Sunday.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) February 18, 2023
James recently missed three straight games because of the ailment, and although he played on Wednesday versus the New Orleans Pelicans, he had an underwhelming performance, scoring just 21 points in 29 minutes and missing all five of his 3-point attempts.
His left foot has been ailing for much of the season, and according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, it has been in severe shape while causing him “unbearable” pain at times.
James is in his 20th season, and at age 38, he has an incredible amount of wear and tear on his body, especially since he has made 10 trips to the NBA Finals.
But he is still playing at an incredible level, as he’s averaging 30.0 points on 50.8 percent shooting, 8.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game this season.
However, he’s also averaging 36.3 minutes per game, which is simply too many for someone with the type of mileage he has accumulated. Reportedly, some people around the Lakers organization don’t exactly like how James has been playing such heavy minutes, especially considering he isn’t 100 percent.
Regardless, head coach Darvin Ham recently said that he wants to “ride” James.
With a 27-32 record, Los Angeles sits in 13th place in the Western Conference, and it will need to consistently pick up its level of play in order to get a playoff spot in April.
Thanks to some recent trades, the team now has the ability to lower James’ minutes if it chooses to without sacrificing wins. The addition of defensive stud Jarred Vanderbilt, in particular, should give Ham the luxury of keeping James’ playing time manageable from here on out.
