With their hopes of reaching the play-in tournament officially gone, the Los Angeles Lakers have decided to shut down LeBron James for their final two games.
Via ESPN:
“LeBron James will not play in the final two games of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season because of soreness in his left ankle, the team announced Friday.”
James originally sprained his ankle nearly two weeks ago during a contest with the New Orleans Pelicans. He has played in only one contest since then.
The four-time MVP has been leading the NBA in scoring at the time. The fact that he will not play again this season means that he will not appear in enough games to win the scoring title.
League rules stipulate that a player must play in at least 58 games to win the scoring title.
If he doesn’t do so, but his total number of points would’ve still given him the league’s highest scoring rate if averaged out over 58 games.
As of now, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid paces everyone with 30.4 points per game, while James is at 30.3.
Kudos to James for putting his long-term health above his individual agenda.
