The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday afternoon and fans are curious about LeBron James’ status for the game.
As per the injury report, the Lakers have ruled out LeBron and Luka Doncic for their regular-season finale against Portland. This decision comes after the Lakers secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a victory over the Houston Rockets.
And now they can rest their main contributors ahead of the playoffs.
Lakers’ injury report for tomorrow in Portland:
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 13, 2025
— Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith are all out.
— Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are questionable. pic.twitter.com/PH5Szh3NGg
The Los Angeles Lakers, following their victory over the Houston Rockets, have officially secured the third seed in the Western Conference.
During the Rockets game, James played only 22 minutes due to a suspected groin injury. Despite this, head coach JJ Redick reassured fans that James is fine and the management will rest him along with other regulars for the Sunday game.
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NBA Scout Reveals LeBron James Defensive Struggle
So now that LeBron James will not play against the Trail Blazers, he has officially completed his 22nd NBA regular season. He will finish it with impressive averages of 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Additionally, all of that, while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.
With Luka Doncic at the helm, LeBron has been able to offload some of his playmaking responsibilities. And it seems to have positively impacted both his offensive efficiency and his willingness to engage more on defense.
However, concerns persist regarding the Lakers’ defensive capabilities, particularly in light of their size limitations. An anonymous scout pointed out that LeBron’s defensive presence may be vulnerable, especially if matched against certain offensive players.
“The thing with LeBron is he’s not going to foul; you can score on him with the right matchup. With the right personnel, he could be exposed on defense in the playoffs. He’s amazing, taking nothing from him, but it’s a worry,” the scout said.
An anonymous scout says LeBron could be ‘exposed’ on defense in the playoffs
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 12, 2025
“The thing with LeBron is he's not going to foul; you can score on him with the right matchup. With the right personnel he could be exposed on defense in the playoffs. He's amazing, taking nothing from… pic.twitter.com/ZnjgNLnu5p
Statistically, the Lakers have a defensive rating of 114.0 when LeBron is on the floor, which improves to 108.1 when he sits. This discrepancy illustrates the challenges LeBron might face in fully exerting himself defensively, particularly at 40 years old.
While the Lakers have some silver lining in defensive play since Doncic joined the team, they currently rank just 17th in defensive efficiency since the All-Star break.
Also Read: LeBron James Offers Promising Health Update Ahead Of Lakers’ Playoff Push: “Best l’ve Felt In Weeks”
