LeBron James appeared in his first preseason game last night as he played 30 minutes against the Chicago Bulls. The small forward scored 17 points in his preseason debut, adding 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block to his stat line as well. However, he finished the game with game-high 8 turnovers, which either meant that he was not ready to play or that he's just rusty.
Cleveland Cavaliers ended up losing another game as the Bulls escaped with a 14-point victory. This was the fourth preseason loss for the Cavaliers and they have yet to win a game in the preseason.
However, this is not the worst thing that the team is dealing with as LeBron James is once again having injury problems. He missed a few workouts and first three games of the preseason due to his Ankle Injury, and it appears that he may not be ready to play in the regular season opener either.
James' ankle injury is more serious
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported that LeBron James is out for the rest of the week, which means he will be sidelined for the preseason finale against the Orlando Magic. The Cavaliers will conclude their preseason on October 13 in Orlando, and they will be looking to get their first win and only win of the preseason.
LeBron James is out for the rest of the week and will not play against Orlando because of soreness in his left ankle
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) October 11, 2017
LeBron will be sidelined once again as he re-aggravated his ankle injury last night.
This injury kept him out for two weeks before he made his preseason debut, and it seems it could force the four-time MVP to miss the season opener. Cleveland will open their season at home against the Boston Celtics on October 17, but James may not be ready to play.
Head coach Tyronn Lue said he didn't know if the forward would play against the Celtics, but it seems that it is still too early to say if the injury will force him to sit that game out.
With so many injury problems on the team, the Cavaliers need LeBron James, and if he is not ready, they might start the season with a loss.
Other injuries for the Cavaliers
Beside LeBron James, Iman Shumpert also suffered a preseason injury. Fortunately, Shumpert recovered and he appeared in the preseason game against the Bulls.
While he may not be back at 100 percent, he looked good in the game and will most likely be ready for the regular season.
On the other side, the Cavaliers won't be able to count on Isaiah Thomas for a few more months. The guard will definitely be out for the season opener and, while there is no timetable for his return, Thomas is targeting a return in January.
