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With the Los Angeles Lakers officially eliminated from play-in and playoff contention, one of the biggest questions being asked is what they plan to do with LeBron James. The team has nothing to play for, but King James is still in contention for the scoring title.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers had planned all along to continue sitting James even if they were to be eliminated from their play-in bid. LeBron is still dealing with a left ankle sprain, which has cost him the last two games.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5A53alv7I8uub6EBQYFFXZ?si=855d45b713344e17
For what it's worth, however, James has been listed as questionable for the Lakers' game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
One source close to the situation said Tuesday that LeBron was likely to continue sitting — no matter what that did to his scoring title chances — if the Lakers were eliminated from play-in consideration. We’ll soon see if that stance holds.
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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 7, 2022
Looking at it team-wise, it is better for the Lakers to just rest LeBron James and let him recover to prepare for next season. The longer offseason he gets, the better the chance of him extending his career. He was an absolute beast in 2021-22, but injuries has been plaguing him for the past couple of years.
However, individually, LeBron can benefit from playing. He is still in contention for the scoring title with a 30.3 points per game average, but he needs to play two games to qualify or at least play one more and score a bunch of points to improve his chances. Moreover, Joel Embiid has already overtaken him as the scoring leader with 30.4 points, so if he wants the award, he really needs to play and produce at a high level.
Of course that seems to be of secondary concern over his health. However, maybe the Lakers can take it as a consolation after what has been a messy season.
