LeBron James has declared he will only play in half of the Lakers’ six preseason games, and he will miss his second straight on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings in Anaheim.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham made the announcement at practice on Tuesday: The result obviously doesn’t matter in this one, but James sitting out could leave the Lakers missing quite a bit of forward depth on Wednesday, as Cam Reddish (ankle) and Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) both sat out Monday’s win against the Nets. The Lakers have not been releasing ιnjury reports for the preseason, so their status for the game against the Kings is still unknown. However, if James were to join them on the bench, only Rui Hachimura and Taurean Prince would be expected to play on the wings. This might lead to increased playing time for second-round pick Maxwell Lewis, versatile forward Alex Fudge, or perhaps three-point specialist Max Christie.

James’ participation in the Lakers’ last two preseason games is also up in the air. If he performs well in his next game on Friday, October 13 against the Warriors, he may be able to have the following Sunday off before facing the Milwaukee Bucks, and then return to action on Thursday, October 19 in Palm Desert against the Phoenix Suns in the preseason finale.

 

 

 

In any case, James won’t be making the trip with the Lakers to Anaheim to face the Kings. On Wednesday, October 11 at 7 p.m., Spectrum SportsNet and NBA TV will air coverage of that game.