LeBron James has been dealing with ‘flu-like symptoms’ for the past couple of games. He initially missed the matchup against the Timberwolves earlier this week and eventually battled through it as the Lakers took on the Warriors on the 9th. But on a recent episode of the popular Lakers podcast, “Locked on Lakers,” hosts Andy and Brian Kamenetzky discussed the Lakers’ standing. Talking about King James’ frequent appearance on the injury report, the two suggested that illness might not be the sole reason.

The episode started with a discussion on James’ status of late. Andy Kamenetzky herein suggested that the frequency of questionable tags now and throughout might have become the new normal for the veteran forward, stating, “LeBron is going to be listed as questionable for the rest of his career unless the Lakers know that he’s out, in which case they’ll just list him as not playing.” This in part hints that the Lakers are taking a cautious approach, prioritizing James’ long-term health over short-term goals.

Andy then goes on to express his belief that James’ questionable status is more likely because of his ongoing ankle issues than the recent illness. “I think LeBron is more questionable due to the, you know, everpresent ankle injury vs the illness and yeah, it looks like they are going to take no chances,” he adds.

LeBron James has missed quite a few games due to an ankle injury since early Feb, including the All-Star break against the Golden State Warriors. Thus, shifting the conversation to the Lakers vs Grizzlies (seeded 13th) matchup next, Andy suggested that James, along with Anthony Davis (left eye contusion), could sit out the Memphis game. This would allow James to rest up while the Lakers evaluated their playoff positioning.

The idea was to potentially have James and Davis rejoin the team for the following game in New Orleans, a more crucial matchup with playoff implications. But Andy pointed out the uncertainty surrounding this strategy, “who knows, perhaps if Anthony Davis… happened to be checking his mentions over the last 48 hours maybe he decided my a*s better get on a plane.”

Road ahead for the Lakers

Lakers have 2 matches left: Memphis and New Orleans. They are the 10th-seeded team in the Western Conference and in a tie-breaker scenario with the Golden State Warriors, 45-35. Having lost 2 games in a row, they are holding onto that final spot for play-in. If they win the next two games, the Lakers might fetch themselves a possibility to rise to the 7th seed following a battle during play-ins. If they stumble, a spot in the 9th or 10th seed offers them just one chance to head further, a failure could end the Lakers’ second consecutive trip to the playoffs.

It thus, remains essential to stay focused for the final phase. But the importance would be the comeback of LeBron, their lead scorer in full fitness and hopefully so, alongside Anthony Davis who complements The L-Train with his versatility.

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