The Los Angeles Lakers face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, March 10, in a NBA matchup that will be important in evaluating where the Lakers truly stand. The game also provides a strong test against a team that is viewed as contenders. For that reason, the availability of their stars will be crucial, and head coach JJ Redick addressed the status of LeBron James.
Following Lakers practice on Monday, Redick reaffirmed that LeBron James’ current injury status is day to day heading into their game against the Timberwolves. The team continue to monitor his condition as they prepare for the upcoming matchup.
“LeBron was out at practice today. He was obviously present in film,” Redick said. “Everybody else was a full participant. Nothing live today except the stay ready game.”
The play where James’ elbow injury occurred came late in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers star went up for a shot around the rim that was challenged by Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. James hit the floor hard and no foul was called. He was forced to exit the game momentarily, but he eventually returned.
The influence of LeBron this season
This season, James has appeared in 44 games while averaging a little over 33 minutes per contest. He has averaged 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.1 steals, while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from the three-point line and 74.5 percent from the free-throw line.
In the hours leading up to the Lakers’ win against the Indiana Pacers last Friday, he was ruled out. James was initially listed as questionable for the team’s game against the New York Knicks on Sunday, then changed to a game-time decision before ultimately being ruled out. The Lakers have not yet released their official injury report for the Timberwolves game.
Meanwhile, the Lakers will have to rely on the play of Luka Doncic, who has been performing at a very high level. However, his production alone has not been enough to keep the entire team afloat, particularly with the widely criticized and underwhelming performance of DeAndre Ayton, who was expected to help address the defensive and interior issues the Lakers had last NBA season but has so far been a major disappointment.