Nothing about LeBron James sitting out the occasional game for the Philadelphia 76ers is particularly shocking.
It is a surprise, though, that nothing was clarified about his absence during the postgame press conferences on Saturday night after the 76ers took on the Charlotte Hornets.
Nick Nurse and VJ Edgecombe both spoke to the media in press conference settings.
Neither gave any answer about James’ status going forward.
Why Did LeBron James Sit Out?
James, along with Joel Embiid, sat out on Saturday for what most fans would assume to be load management.
That’s what the NBA’s official injury report said, sort of.
The official report listed James as out with “Low Back/Sciatica Management.”
Embiid was listed with “Right Foot Plantar Fascia Injury Management.”
In a vacuum, that’s all fair. No one is going to blame the 76ers for taking it easy with their aging stars.
It just feels like someone should’ve asked if they’re going to be OK going forward.
The closest anything came was Edgecombe saying to reporters, “Every game matters, regardless of who’s playing, who’s not playing.”
The 76ers did win without James and Embiid.
Dean Wade got the start in place of LeBron and had four points, five rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block.
Adem Bona started at center for Embiid and had two points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block.
Jabari Walker got a lot of action off the bench with the frontcourt thin, and he had 12 points and six rebounds.
The 76ers pulled out a 109-104 win over a Hornets team that’s still waiting for the injured Kon Knueppel to make his season debut.
Philadelphia benefited from some voodoo 3-point defense (because more often than not, 3s are a product more of the offense than the defense) with both Naz Reid and Dennis Schroder going 0-for-6 from 3-point range.
What’s Next for LeBron James?
James has now sat out two of the 76ers’ seven games this season.
He has yet to play in a back-to-back.
While it’s certainly implied by these absences that it could be the plan to do the same going forward, there still are definitely questions to be asked about this.
The reality is that it’s probably smart by the 76ers, who are focused on being at full strength when the playoffs arrive.
But for fans who want to watch James play, or who are simply wondering what the scoop is, there’s a bit of a lack of information on the long-term plans that the 76ers are operating here in the short-term.
76ers’ LeBron James Sitting Out Keeps Mysterious Reasons