Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James is set to be a full participant in practice on Monday after being reassigned back to the team from the South Bay Lakers G League squad, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The NBA all-time leading scorer completed multiple days of practices and 5-on-5 sessions this past week for South Bay and his unprecedented 23rd season debut is close, possibly on Tuesday at home against the Jazz? Maybe.
James, who turns 41 in late December, will return to a Lakers team that’s had a stellar start to the season in his absence, pushing to a 10-4 record (fourth in the West) behind Luka Dončić, who’s put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers, and Austin Reaves, who’s proven to be one of the NBA’s best third option.
“Just mostly talking about it. LeBron’s played basketball [for a long time]. It’s his [23rd] season… He knows everything about it. I think just play the way we play,” Doncic said on reintegrating James to the team. “First of all, it’s defense. When we get stops, we can get anything.”
After a 2-2 start, the Lakers have won eight of their past 10 games, concluding a five-game road trip on the tail end, where they finished 3-2.
The Lakers put themselves in a strong position in the West to begin the season despite missing the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and multiple starters and role players in the process.
They have yet to have their full squad intact and starters play a second of action together, but coach JJ Redick has willed L.A. in his second year at the helm to be among the best in the NBA behind an aggressive, winning-over-everything coaching style.
The Lakers’ next two games will be against the Jazz, at home on Tuesday, Nov. 18, and then in Utah after a four-day break on Sunday, Nov. 23. Then the Lakers will play their following four games in L.A. over eight days.
