Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James leads the league in scoring with an average of 30.3 points per game, but his quest for the scoring title is facing a major problem after he was ruled out of Tuesday's game against the Phoenix Suns.

For a player to qualify for the NBA scoring title, he needs to play in at least 70 percent of the games–that is 58 in an 82-game season. So far this 2021-22, the Lakers forward has appeared in 56.

With that said, James need to play in at least two more games to qualify for the award. Of course he also must maintain his scoring average of above 30, with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo just behind him at 30.2 and 30.1 points, respectively.

Before his latest absence, LeBron is averaging 34.0 points on 54.0 percent shooting in the last seven games he played in.

But how about if he's unable to play two more games? There is the possibility that the Lakers get eliminated early, so letting LeBron play in meaningless games would not make sense. Not to mention that it's bad optics after what has already been a disastrous season for the Purple and Gold. Certainly, the last thing James would want to hear is him stat-padding for an individual record.

Apparently, there is a loophole in the NBA rulebook that can help LeBron. If James is able to play one more game and increase his point tally even better, there is a chance he could win the award. This is if his point total divided by the required 58 games leads to a better scoring average than the next one after him–meaning he would basically have a game recorded with 0 points.

The NBA explains this exception further on its rulebook:

The only exception to this rule will be if, at the end of the season, the player would have led the league in the category had he played the required number of games with his current category total.

For example, if Player A played 56 games and scored 1,590 points (28.4 ppg), Player A could still qualify for the league lead if his average (27.4) with that same point total (1,590) over 58 games was higher than any other player.

A past example: Gerald Wallace collected 138 steals in 55 games (2.51 spg) during the 2005-06 season. Wallace would have still led the league in steals because his average with 58 games (2.38 spg) would have been greater than the 2.28 spg of Brevin Knight, the leader among players who met the 58-game qualifier.

As it currently stands, LeBron James has 1,695 points. If he doesn't play in any more games, his average considering the aforementioned exception would be 29.2. That would not win him the award considering that it's unlikely Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo will fail to score in a single game (h/t Sportscasting).

If LeBron is able to play one more game, though, he can improve his chance. If he scores 30 points, his average would be 29.7, while a 40-point outing would put him at 29.9. Another 50-point outing would put him at 30.1, while 60 points would maintain his 30.3 average.

That basically means James has to double his output in a single game to cover for the other missed one he needs to qualify.

Sure enough, that is a difficult task given their current situation. He has also not scored more than 50 this campaign, so expecting him to go 60 might be too much. But then again, if there is anyone capable of exploding in a game, it's the Lakers leader.