Lakers Rumors: LeBron James TBD vs. Blazers with Injury; Anthony Davis to Return

Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James' playing status for the defending NBA champions' Monday evening game against the Portland Trail Blazers is to be determined, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.  

James suffered a left ankle sprain on Dec. 22 but has played in the Lakers' first three games. He was listed as probable on the league's injury report with left ankle soreness on Sunday but played in his team's 127-91 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, posting 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.

Big man Anthony Davis, who sat Sunday with a right ankle contusion, will return to the court, per McMenamin.

James, a 16-time All-Star and All-NBA player and four-time NBA MVP, has won four NBA titles. He averaged 27.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game over his 17-year career before this season.

The Akron, Ohio, native has missed just eight or fewer games in 16 of his 17 seasons, with the lone exception in 2018-19 largely due to a groin injury. He sat out 27 contests that year.

The 35-year-old returned healthy in 2019-20 and welcomed superstar big man Anthony Davis to the mix, and the Lakers proceeded to win the NBA title. James posted 25.3 points per game and also led the NBA with 10.2 assists per contest.

The turnaround was short for James and the Lakers between last season and this one: Los Angeles finished its title-winning campaign Oct. 11 and started 2020-21 on Dec. 22, when the Lakers lost their opener 116-107 to the Los Angeles Clippers. James rolled his ankle but didn't miss any time with the injury, playing on Christmas Day against the Dallas Mavericks.

Without James, Davis' usage will almost certainly increase, and L.A. should rely on him more for scoring. Dennis Schroder should assume more ball-handling duties in James' absence, and players such as Kyle Kuzma, Markieff Morris and Talen Horton-Tucker could see more playing time.

The Lakers have enough talent on the roster to tread water with James out, especially with Davis leading the way. However, L.A. would obviously like James back as soon as possible as it looks to win back-to-back titles.