Lakers’ LeBron James Out vs. Lauri Markkanen, Jazz With Ankle Injury

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been ruled out for Saturday night’s matchup against the Utah Jazz due to left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.

This isn’t the first time James has missed a matchup this season because of an ankle injury.

James, 39, has sat out a number of a number of second legs in back-to-back series this season as the Lakers try to manage his workload. In December, he did so while battling tendinitis in his left ankle.

He admitted at the time that fatigue was setting in.

“It’s a combination of everything,” he told reporters. “I mean, it’s the emotional fatigue, it’s the physical fatigue, it’s the grind-of-the-season fatigue. And when you’re not winning, obviously, that’s the frustration fatigue. So, a little combination of everything.”

At this point in his career, it’s no surprise that James requires a different level of maintenance to get through an 82-game season. But injuries have undoubtedly become a major storyline for him later in his career, namely since joining the Lakers.

In the past five seasons, James only played in 60 or more games once. The inevitability of aging is that injuries often become more prevalent, and the time required to recover from them becomes lengthier.

That James is still playing elite basketball at his age and has maintained his level of athleticism is nothing short of remarkable. He’s averaging 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, serving as the team’s most consistent scorer and playmaker.

But there will naturally be concerns about his injury status if those issues continue to crop up. And in turn, does James have another long playoff run in the tank as the Lakers look to win a title?

That remains to be seen.