Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James has yet to play this season as he continues to recover from sciatica on his right side.
James, 40, has been taking a methodical approach as he inches closer to his unprecedented 23rd season in the league. In the meantime, the Lakers are playing solid basketball without the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
However, while the Lakers have been able to keep their head above water — and then some — we are inching closer to James being back on the court.
In a recent appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today, NBA insider Shams Charania detailed the next steps for James’ Lakers season debut.
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Charania said that the next step for James will be a 5-on-5 workout.
“LeBron James has been working out individually, and I’m told that the next step for him is 5-on-5 live play,” Charania said. “He will not be traveling on the upcoming five-game week-long road trip that starts in Atlanta this weekend. So, it’s unclear when he will be able to get that live action while the team is on the road, potentially doing it with the G League South Bay team or do the Lakers and LeBron wait for the team to get back on November 16 and then the live play process can begin then.”
Charania continued by saying the timeline of this 5-on-5 play is still in question.
“I was told today that Lakers personnel are still operating in the belief that LeBron James’ debut will be around mid-November, but this is uncharted territory. He turns 41 next month, he’s in his 23rd record NBA season, and that’s why Rob Pelinka’s three signings this offseason: Jake LaRavia, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart have been so important, paying dividends with the depth without one of the best players of all time in LeBron James.”
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The Lakers will embark on a five-game road trip starting on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks and ending on Saturday, Nov. 15, against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers will return home to play the Utah Jazz on Nov. 18, then hit the road five days later to take on the Jazz on Nov. 23.
If all goes well for James, we could most likely see him on the court on Nov. 25 when the Lakers take on their cross-town rivals, the Clippers. A healthy Lakers team is certainly on the horizon.
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