LeBron James and Anthony Davis did not feature for the Los Angeles Lakers in their preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves but will be in action against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. During Lakers practice on Saturday, James stated he plans to make his 2024 preseason debut against the Suns.
“That is the plan,” James said.
LeBron James talks at Lakers practice on Saturday pic.twitter.com/pihw7Yz7Jd
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 5, 2024
Later, head coach JJ Redick confirmed that Davis will also play against the Suns. It will be the first time that the two superstars are in action under Redick and it will be interesting to see how differently he uses them compared to former head coach Darvin Ham.
We could also see LeBron play with his son Bronny James for the first time against the Suns. Bronny did feature in that 124-107 loss to Timberwolves unlike his father, who is not expected to see too much time on the court this preseason.
Both LeBron and Davis played big roles for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics and I don’t think the Lakers would want them to play too much in the preseason. I wouldn’t expect them to play big minutes against the Suns at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs and they’ll probably miss a couple of the four remaining games as well.
The Lakers would want LeBron and Davis wrapped in cotton wool whenever possible, as these two will once again be key to their success. James will be entering his 22nd season in the NBA in 2024-25 and is still going strong. The 20-time All-Star averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2023-24, and I expect him to put up big numbers once again.
Davis, meanwhile, is coming off arguably his best season as a Laker. The nine-time All-Star averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game in 2023-24. Davis also managed to stay healthy for once, as he played in 76 games and the Lakers would be hoping for a repeat of that.
JJ Redick Isn’t Concerned About LeBron James And Anthony Davis After Their Hectic Offseason
James is now 39 years old while Davis is 31 and considering their injury history, there were some concerns about them heading into the 2024-25 campaign following their participation in the Olympics. Redick, though, dismissed any and all concerns about James and Davis.
“I mean, look, those guys are professionals in every sense of the word. My concern for them about whether or not they’ll be ready to play on Oct. 22 and be in shape, I don’t have that concern.”
“We’re gonna work with Mike and Ish, making sure that they feel like they’re in a great place to start the regular season. They’ll certainly be involved in training camp and preseason even here in September, as well as games.”
If James and Davis end up missing a fair bit of time next season, many will point to their participation in the Olympics as a bad idea on their part. You can’t blame someone for wanting to play for their country, though, and I hope the injury bug stays away, as was the case last season.
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