The Lakers will open their preseason schedule without LeBron James, who will be out for “rest,” per ESPN. The Lakers take on the Timberwolves Friday night and will do so without James. With training camp opening earlier this week, it is rather surprising to see James already missing a game, but he is entering his 22nd NBA season, which will tie Vince Carter for most NBA seasons played. James is also about to turn 40 years old in December, and as indestructible as he’s appeared even in his twilight years, your body certainly doesn’t bounce back the same way in your 40s compared to your 20s.
While James will be out Friday night, he plans on playing in L.A.’s second preseason game against the Suns on Sunday. James missing a preseason game doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, especially since it’s just for rest and not due to an actual injury. But it does delay the debut of watching James play alongside his son, Bronny James, whom the Lakers drafted in the second round back in June.
A significant amount of attention surrounds Bronny’s debut and, more importantly, watching the NBA’s first father-son duo play together. But that will have to be delayed while the elder James recovers.
With LeBron James out, all the attention will be on Bronny James as he prepares for his first NBA game. This might actually be better; as it allows Bronny James to play without the additional attention, his dad brings to the situation before the duo inevitably suits up side-by-side.
It’s unclear how much playing time Bronny James will get. Still, preseason is the perfect opportunity for young guys to get more run before they spend most of the regular season either on the bench or down in the G League. And while LeBron James won’t be out there with his son, he’ll surely be cheering him on loudly from the sidelines.
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