Category: NBA

Zion Williamson is out for at least another week with a hamstring injury. Dejounte Murray is not expected to return to the Pelicans from his torn Achilles until the calendar flips to 2026.

That put the ball in the hands of Jordan Poole to be a primary shot creator in New Orleans, but now comes word that he has a strained left quad and will be out for at least a week, with a re-evaluation in 7-10 days.

Poole has put up numbers for the Pelicans — 17.3 points and 3.4 assists a game — but has not been efficient doing so, shooting just 34.5% from the field.

Saddiq Bey got the start on Wednesday with Poole out, and both Jose Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins are likely to see more run as well.

Whether you’re in a Yahoo! High Score league, a Sleeper league, a league with a games cap or simply have so many players with games scheduled that you can’t start them all, making a decision about who to start or sit can help you win or lose your matchup.

Obviously, in many leagues, having more games played each week ends up being the difference in a matchup. This is not me saying to bench a player in a points league without a games cap. Even if I’m expecting a terrible game, five points is better than zero!

The Hornets, Clippers, Lakers, Knicks, Pelicans, Suns, Trail Blazers and Jazz only play once this weekend, so if you’re just looking to maximize games, avoid those teams.

▶ Guards

Start: Donte DiVincenzo, Minnesota Timberwolves

Even with Anthony Edwards back, DiVincenzo is still an important part of the offense in Minnesota. They play two games this weekend, with one of those coming against the Jazz, who have allowed the second-most three-pointers per game this season. DiVincenzo has hit at least five triples in three straight games.

Start: Grayson Allen, Phoenix Suns

When Jalen Green made his debut for Phoenix on Thursday, the expectation was that Allen would be moved to the bench. However, Allen remained a starter, with second-year forward Ryan Dunn shifting to a reserve role. Assuming that holds, Allen will get another matchup with the Clippers on Saturday after hitting four three-pointers against them on Thursday.

Sit: Bradley Beal, LA Clippers

This should be an easy one, but he’s still heavily-rostered in Yahoo! leagues. Beal has started every game he has played this season, but he’s been limited to 20.3 minutes per game. Against the Suns on Thursday, with Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and James Harden (personal) out, Beal had a great opportunity to get back on track, but he ended up having his worst performance of the year. He might figure things out at some point, but until he proves it, he should be left on the bench.

Sit: CJ McCollum, Washington Wizards

McCollum has had a few decent performances this season, but the last two have been quite rough. Now, the Wizards have a back-to-back with the Cavaliers and Mavericks, two teams who are in the top 10 in points allowed per game this season. This isn’t the weekend to bank on McCollum figuring things out.

▶ Forwards

Start: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

Coming off his best performance of the season, Flagg has a strong opportunity this weekend. Dallas takes on the Grizzlies and Wizards, and both teams rank in the bottom three for points allowed per game. With Anthony Davis (calf) still hurt, Flagg is going to be the focal point of the offense again, and he’ll have the chance to build on his game against the Pelicans.

Start: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat

Jaquez has been really good so far this season, with a couple of subpar performances sprinkled in. However, with Bam Adebayo dealing with a toe injury, and Tyler Herro still out, there will be plenty of usage available in Miami. The Heat play two games this weekend, including one against the Hornets, who have been bottom five in points allowed and bottom three in turnovers forced.

Sit: Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies

There isn’t a lot going right in Memphis right now, but Coward has been a bright spot. Still, matchups with two strong defenses in the Mavericks and Thunder won’t provide Coward with a great opportunity to stay hot. He’s still a great long-term option, and he appears to be the latest draft success for Memphis, but this isn’t an ideal weekend for him.

Sit: Cam Johnson, Denver Nuggets

It’s been a rough start to the season for Johnson, and I’m confident he’ll get back on track eventually. However, that will happen when he gets going from beyond the arc. Denver will take on the Warriors and Pacers this weekend, and both teams rank in the top 10 in fewest three-pointers allowed per game.

▶ Centers

Start: Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers only have one game this weekend, but it’s against the Hawks, who have the worst rebounding percentage in the league, per NBA.com/stats. Ayton has two straight 20-point double-doubles, and this is a great opportunity for him to keep that streak going. Ayton started the season off slowly, but he’s starting to figure things out.

Start: Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks

Anthony Davis (calf) and Dereck Lively (knee) are still out, and while Gafford won’t play the minutes that many starters will, he’ll be a force on the glass against two teams (Memphis and Washington) that rank in the bottom three in rebounds allowed per game. This should be a strong weekend for Gafford.

Sit: Isaiah Jackson, Indiana Pacers

I know everyone was thinking that Jackson’s three-game hot streak was the start of his breakout, but I’m not confident that’s the case. The Pacers take on the Warriors and Nuggets this weekend, and both teams have been effective on the defensive glass and now allowed many blocked shots. Perhaps that’s because nearly half of the Warriors shot attempts are from deep, and the Nuggets have Nikola Jokic.

Sit: Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets

The Nets play the Knicks and Pistons this weekend, and both teams have dominated the glass this year. Claxton has been effective recently, but that has come against some teams that have struggled to rebound this season. This isn’t the ideal weekend for Claxton to stay hot.

Seven or eight games at the start of the season is enough time to make sweeping generalizations about teams and who they should try to trade. Apparently.

The NBA trade rumor mill never stops grinding, so here is the latest on some big names.

Zion Williamson

For the fourth consecutive year, Zion Williamson has been sidelined with a hamstring injury (this is a Grade 1 strain expected to keep him out 7-10 days). Combine that with New Orleans' 2-6 start and bottom-five offense and defense in the league — and a reminder that Joe Dumars came in and traded away their first-round pick next season to move up 10 spots and draft Derik Queen — and there are calls for change in the Big Easy.

However, trading Zion is not much of an option because there is no market for him, something Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst got into at ESPN. From Windhorst:

Stated simply, even with his unusual non-guaranteed contract over the next two years that offers the franchise protection, Williamson's trade value isn't super high.

"To be honest, their move might be a win-now trade, not a Zion trade," a rival executive said. "His trade value isn't there and they are facing some pressure to win."

Dumars knows there is no Zion trade market. That's why he came in last summer and backed Zion, choosing not to try to trade the former No. 1 pick, because he understood there wouldn't be enough value in return, a league source told NBC Sports. Dumars needed Zion to have a strong season, raise that value, then he would have options. So far, that has not come to pass, and if there is clamoring for change in New Orleans, it could be coach Willie Green who pays the price.

Ja Morant

As written about this week at NBC Sports, league sources have told us there is not much of a trade market for Morant right now, and any offers for him at this point would be lowball ones looking for a steal. Minnesota and Sacramento are reportedly interested, not Houston (why take the ball out of the hands of Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant? The Rockets need a floor general at the point). Memphis is in a tough spot because Morant is still a player people pay to see in a small market, and the business side of the equation matters, as Tim Bontemps mentions at ESPN.

In talking with various sources around the league, Morant is still viewed as a borderline top-10 player at the position -- and that's before factoring in the previous off-court issues -- but there aren't many teams around the league in need of a starting point guard ...

"He sells shoes, he sells tickets, and he wants to play in Memphis when no one wants to," a Western Conference assistant coach said. "So it makes for a really, really difficult situation."

Now, if the Grizzlies were to decide to make a major change, there would be a lot of interest in former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson, ESPN notes.

Trae Young

It's hard to make any call on Young with him out for at least another three weeks with a sprained knee. Young can opt out and become a free agent next summer, but Atlanta's new front office was wisely being patient, not really negotiating on an extension with the All-Star. The Hawks want to see how Young and Kristaps Porzingis fit together (and with the rest of the talented players on this roster, such as Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels) before committing to anything. Young and Porzingis have played just 51 minutes together this season, way too few to make any kind of assessment.

That said, one executive told ESPN that Atlanta would listen to trade offers.

"Atlanta is good enough to keep Trae and be good and make the playoffs," an East executive said. "But with the pick and Jalen, Dyson and [Zaccharie Risacher], they'll at least pick up the phone and listen when called."

If Young leaves Atlanta, a sign-and-trade next offseason seems the most likely scenario. The more likely scenario is that he stays, but there is no need to make a call either way until we see more of what these Hawks could be healthy.

LaMelo Ball

Much like the Hawks' situation, the Hornets came into this season optimistic and wanting to see what a lineup featuring their star point guard, Ball, Brandon Miller, and No. 4 pick last June, Kon Knueppel, looked like. So far, we have seen that trio healthy and on the court together for 16 minutes in one game. The big questions have yet to be answered, and Miller with out with a shoulder injury and no timeline for a return it could be a while before we get answers.

The situation in Charlotte with Ball also echoes what is happening in Memphis in one key way: the star player is very popular in the market and helps sell tickets, while his trade value around the league is not high enough to have the Hornets considering a deal. Here is what one scout told ESPN:

"Would someone take a flier on him? For sure. But Charlotte isn't taking a flier price for him."

Again, a Ball trade is more likely next offseason than at the deadline. The Hornets will be patient, they want to see what this core can do together when healthy (which could boost Ball's trade value).

How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.

How hard have injuries hit the Pacers this season? We're not even 10 games into the season, and today Indiana made its fourth roster move to try to plug the holes left by all the players out with injuries.

The latest move is to waive recently signed guard Mac McClung and replace him on the roster with veteran Monte Morris, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and confirmed by other reports.

Indiana had considered bringing in Morris to training camp, but he was dealing with a calf strain that was likely to keep him out most or all of camp, so the Pacers pivoted. Now, Morris is healthy, Indiana is even more desperate for help at the point, and the two are finally getting together. Morris, 30, is an eight-year NBA veteran who spent last season in Phoenix, averaging 5.2 points a night across 45 games (and less than 13 minutes per game).

This is unfortunate for McClung, the three-time Dunk Contest champion and former G-League MVP, who had signed a multi-year but non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers. He is now a free agent.

Indiana's guard depth has been decimated by injuries this season: Tyrese Haliburton (out for season, torn Achilles), Bennedict Mathurin (foot), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder), and T.J.McConnell (hamstring) are all out right now. (That's not to mention frontcourt players Obi Toppin, Johnny Furphy and Kam Jones.)

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia has brought an indictment against Lester Jones, the Atlanta Hawks' former senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, charging him with fraud and embezzling $3.8 million from the franchise.

The indictment was unsealed last week and was seen by Mike Vorkunov and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Jones himself pled not guilty and was released on bond, pending trial.

Some of the evidence against Jones came from an audit conducted by the Hawks themselves. The Hawks have not publicly commented on the indictment. From The Athletic:

Jones used his position with the Hawks to build a lavish lifestyle for himself, prosecutors allege. He controlled the team's American Express card account and had the ability to authorize charges, according to prosecutors, authorized multiple corporate cards for himself and had the ability to charge sums for others.

He reportedly used that power to spend on trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Thailand, Switzerland and other countries; paid for a Porsche; and bought tickets to concerts and other events. Now, he is facing a count of federal wire fraud.

Prosecutors allege that Jones went to great lengths to cover up his spending. They say he changed financial reports to hide his use of the company's corporate cards, faked emails to make his transactions seem legitimate and diverted his personal spending on those cards to the Hawks' team operations.

This case will now proceed through the federal court system.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report. Every week, I will be going through each team's updated minutes per game to see which players are seeing the court more or less than in previous weeks. With this information in hand, I'll try to discuss any relevant fantasy risers or fallers; players who we should be adding off waivers or removing from our teams.

The charts below are also great for exploring on your own. You can track the minutes over the last three games, five games, ten games, and for the entire season to see what trends stand out to you. All of this data was made accessible by Kyle Bland, who is incredibly talented and also incredibly generous, so make sure to give him a follow to check out all of his baseball data as well.

2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Top 200 Rankings: Kawhi Leonard jumps into the Top 10

“The Klaw” capped a short Week 2 for the Clippers with a buzzer-beater as his fantasy resurgence continues.

• Raphielle Johnson,

Atlanta Hawks

Obviously, the big change here is the knee injury to Trae Young, which will keep him out at least a month. In the meantime, we haven't seen a major spike for any one player. Minutes have ticked up a bit for all starters, and those five (Daniels, Johnson, Alexander-Walker, Porziņģis, and Risacher) and going to be leaned on heavily. Kennard and Okongwu will see enough time to maybe pop a big fantasy day here and then, especially Kennard with his three-point shooting, but the biggest shift will be the way the usage rates tick up for the other starters.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics continue to toy around with their rotation in a season without Jayson Tatum. Recently, we've seen Joe Mazzulla use a lot of smaller lineups with Josh Minott spelling Neemias Queta at center. This has allowed Jordan Walsh to enter the rotation as a bigger guard/wing. That has cut into minutes for Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman, but none of that is actionable in fantasy leagues other than the fact that Minott has settled into a consistent role and is contributing across most categories in his nearly 23 minutes per game.

Brooklyn Nets

As I mentioned last week. Brooklyn is a young team that is going to try and work in a bunch of rookies and second-year players around the main cogs Michael Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, and Nic Claxton. Thomas' recent hamstring injury makes his minute totals look lower than they are, and we've seen Terance Mann grow into a bit more of a prominent role. It's been a struggle early on for Egor Dëmin and Ben Saraf, but the rookies figure to continue to get plenty of minutes throughout the year.

Charlotte Hornets

The injury to Brandon Miller, which will keep him out at least a few weeks, has led to an uptick in minutes and usage from Kon Knueppel, who's having a solid rookie season and averaging 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and very few defensive stats. Sion James has also stepped into a bigger role, but there isn't much fantasy juice there. Ryan Kalkbrenner also continues to lead the center battle here and is putting up plenty of fantasy value because he's blocking 2.4 shots per game with 7.1 rebounds and an elite field goal percentage.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are 6-1. Who saw that coming? (Yes, I will continue to ask that question if they continue to play this well). Ayo Dosunmu has been great off the bench and should be back on Friday after missing one game with a quad injury. The rest of the minutes have been relatively consistent and likely will be until Coby White returns, which is still a couple of weeks away.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Darius Garland is back, and his numbers here are from just one game. I would expect his minutes to continue to tick up here, and we should see other minutes fall as a result. In Garland's first game back, we saw Sam Merrill move to the bench but still play 27 minutes. Craig Porter Jr., Larry Nance Jr., and Lonzo Ball all saw their minutes take a hit, but Ball still played 23 minutes, so he would be usable if he was doing much on the statsheet.

Dallas Mavericks

The injuries are starting to pile up for the Mavericks, with Dereck Lively II and Anthony Davis joining Kyrie Irving on the sideline. Lively II is expected back next week, and Davis could return later this week, so these don't seem like major injuries that will drastically impact playing time. Daniel Gafford has gotten the most immediate bump, and might until Lively returns, but the other changes have mostly been added minutes for guys like P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg.

Denver Nuggets

It's been pretty status quo for the Nuggets, who don't have any major injuries and have kept their rotation consistent.

Detroit Pistons

Tobias Harris is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out earlier this week, and has led to Isiah Stewart and Jalen Duren getting some more playing time. With how Stewart has looked, it might make sense for the Pistons to keep his minutes increasing even when Harris comes back, which could be later this week. Stewart would be really interesting in fantasy if we knew he wouldn't dip back to 23-ish minutes per game.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors are an older team, so they are going to deal with injuries all season. Right now, all of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green are listed as day-to-day and have missed recent games. That has obviously led to opportunities for second-round pick Will Richard, who had 30 points against the Kings. However, I don't expect his playing time boost to last. Moses Moody has also seen his playing time increase in the wake of these injuries, and he's been fine, but he hasn't exactly played himself into a bigger role when the veterans all return.

Houston Rockets

Things have remained pretty consistent for the Rockets so far to start the season. We have seen Steven Adams cede some minutes to Clint Capela as he's battled a hip injury, and Reed Sheppard continues to see his playing time dialed back a little, but the rest has remained the same.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are riddled with injuries, as Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, James Wiseman, and Andrew Nembhard have all missed time due to injury. That has led to spikes in playing time all over the rotation, with Johnny Furphy and Isaiah Jackson being the biggest risers. We did expect Jackson to get a bigger role due to his previous performance, so I think some of his gains will stick, but guys like Furphy and Jarace Walker should see their minutes tick down when the key players return.

Fantasy Basketball Week 2 Injury Report: Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards headline the list of sidelined stars

The Pacers, Lakers and Thunder are among the teams with lengthy injury reports at the halfway point of Week 2.

• Raphielle Johnson,

Los Angeles Clippers

Another team that has stayed relatively consistent so far this season. Kwahi Leonard is battling an ankle injury right now, and James Harden is dealing with a personal matter, but we have no indication that those situations will last beyond one day.

Los Angeles Lakers

Luka Doncic missed a little bit of time, and Austin Reaves is now battling a groin injury, so we've seen an uptick in minutes and usage for Jake LaRavia. More offensive responsibility has also fallen to DeAndre Ayton and Rui Hachimura, but those guys were playing big minutes before anyway. Reaves is expected to return this week, so the rotation should remain similar to this until LeBron James returns, which might be another 2-3 weeks.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are dealing with myriad injuries, so their rotation has been pretty small to start the season, at least in terms of meaningful minutes. Zach Edey is the closest player to returning since he has already been sent to Memphis' G-League team, but Ty Jerome and Brandon Clarke are weeks away, so this rotation could continue to look like this for a while. It's been nice to see Cedric Coward get a slight increase in minutes, and I expect that to continue given how good the rookie has looked.

Miami Heat

Norman Powell returned to the Heat, which is great, but now Bam Adebayo is dealing with a foot injury. Kel'el Ware played 27 minutes on Wednesday with Bam hurt, so he would see the biggest change in role and could certainly be usable in fantasy leagues since he had 13 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals on Wednesday. Jaime Jaquez Jr. remains a key bench piece, but he has seen his minutes dip a little with Powell back.

Milwaukee Bucks

Kevin Porter Jr. remains out, so Ryan Rollins has moved into the starting rotation and looks like he may not relinquish the role. The rest of the rotation has been pretty consistent.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards returned on Wednesday night, which led to Mike Conley seeing just 18 minutes and Bones Hyland falling out of the rotation altogether. The rest of the rotation is pretty secure, and Rob Dillingham is only seeing like 12 minutes per game, which was not enough to make the cut here.

New Orleans Pelicans

Another season, another injury to Zion Williamson, who is set to miss at least one week with a strained hamstring. The Pelicans are also without Jordan Poole for a bit this week, which could lead to extra opportunities for rookie Jeremiah Fears or Jose Alvarado. The most interesting change has been Derik Queen, who was electric in the fourth quarter on Tuesday and then played 26 minutes against the Mavs on Wednesday, scoring 11 points with seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals. He figures to see the biggest bump in minutes while Zion is sidelined.

New York Knicks

Mitchell Robinson has been battling a foot injury, so his minutes have been kept in check. We've also seen the bench minutes consolidate a bit to guys like Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet, and Deuce McBride, who missed some time for personal reasons, which is why his numbers seem low. The other thing to note is that no Knicks player is over 33 minutes per game after their starting five played more than any other unit last year.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder have a few injuries of note here with Chet Holmgren battling a lower back injury, Lu Dort dealing with a shoulder injury, and Alex Caruso getting a rest day this week. We also saw the return of Isaiah Joe, which, importantly, didn't really cut into the minutes for Ajay Mitchell, who has played himself into a key reserve role for the Thunder.

Orlando Magic

The Magic are just 3-5, but they have no major injuries to report and no real changes to their rotation. They're just shooting 33% from three as a team and struggling to take the next step in their development as a contender.

Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid continues to be in and out of the lineup with his knee injury, and Paul George has still not returned from knee surgery. We also saw Jared McCain back for one game and now out again as he manages a knee injury. McCain should be back soon, and the 76ers clearly don't want to keep playing VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Quentin Grimes as many minutes as they have, so expect those to reduce a bit as this team gets healthy. You'll still likely want all three in fantasy, but they'll be playing around three to five minutes per game less.

Phoenix Suns

Dillon Brooks continues to battle a groin injury, and we've yet to see Jalen Green (hamstring) so far this season, so the Suns' rotation could change a bit in the next week. As it stands, Ryan Dunn and Jordan Goodwin have seen an increase in minutes, but neither one is really fantasy viable.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland's rotation and minutes have remained pretty consistent so far this season. Their top six players have each played in all eight games, and Kris Murray has only missed one. These are their guys for now.

Sacramento Kings

Russell Westbrook has worked into a bigger role with his new team and played well, recording a triple-double this week. It's going to be hard for the Kings not to keep his minutes up. However, Zach LaVine missed one game this week with a back injury, and Domantas Sabonis has missed two games with a rib injury, so those two will get back onto their court and get their normal minutes allotment soon enough. That would likely cause Keon Ellis' role to shrink a bit.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are in the throes of some injuries right now, as Luke Kornet has been sidelined with an ankle injury, and Dylan Harper will now miss multiple weeks with a calf strain. In one game without Harper, we saw Devin Vassell's minutes tick up a bit, same with Stephon Castle. Julian Champagnie saw the biggest increase in minutes (just about five), but that was also the season debut for Jeremy Sochan, so it seems like a lot of minutes in the rotation will go to him now that he's back.

Toronto Raptors

Everything is status quo for the Raptors so far. Jakob Poeltl's minutes continue to be limited, but this is their rotation for now.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz just lost Walker Kessler (shoulder) for the season, which should mean a big uptick in minutes and usage for Jusuf Nurkić; he's a player you have to add in fantasy. We've also seen the team toy with Taylor Hendricks starting over Kyle Filipowski, and while that hasn't led to a huge breakthrough, it's a situation to monitor because Hendricks could be intriguing with starter's minutes.

Washington Wizards

The Wizrads got Bilal Coulibaly back, and in his four games, he has not really cut into the playing time for young guys like Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and Tre Johnson. The minutes have seemed to come at the expense of the veterans, which may also be related to Khris Middleton dealing with a knee injury. Still, this is great news for George, who remains a hold in fantasy leagues. I covered his breakout season earlier this week.

LeBron James is getting closer to a return to the court for the Lakers, but it is still at least a week or two away.

LeBron, who has been dealing with sciatica on his right side since before the start of training camp, has been cleared for contact and will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks, the Lakers announced on Thursday. He will not travel with the team on its upcoming five-game road trip, which starts in Atlanta on Saturday (he could practice with the South Bay Lakers G-League team during that time). The Lakers' next home game is on Nov. 18 against the Utah Jazz. All of this fits with the long-planned return for LeBron in mid-November.

Sciatica is pain, often accompanied by weakness or numbness, along one side of the body due to pressure on the sciatic nerve (which runs from the lower back through the hips and down the leg to the feet). That pressure on the nerve is often caused by a herniated disc in the lower back, but other things (such as a bone spur) can cause the pressure as well. Recovery usually involves rest, specific stretches and exercises, and should not be rushed for fear of re-injury.

The Lakers don't need to rush as they have started fast without LeBron, going 7-2 with a top-10 offense in the league. That start is due to a historic opening of the season from Luka Doncic (who is averaging 40 points a game through five games), as well as strong play from Austin Reaves and role players such as Deandre Ayton.

LeBron, 40, will make history when he steps on the court, becoming the first player to take part in 23 NBA seasons. The NBA's all-time leading scorer continues to contribute at a high level — he was a second-team All-NBA player for the Lakers last season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds a game.