James (ankle) is out for Friday's preseason finale against the Kings, Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

James' ankle sprain will cost him his last shot at exhibition reps this fall. The second-year guard will hope to recover in time for Tuesday's Opening Night clash against the Warriors.

James (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday's preseason game against the Mavericks, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

James will sit out Wednesday's game due to an ankle sprain. The team hasn't shared details on the severity or a timeline, so it's worth monitoring whether the young guard suits up for Friday's preseason finale against the Kings or if his status is shaky heading into the regular season.

James (undisclosed) has been cleared to play in Friday's game against the Suns, NBA reporter Jovan Buha reports.

EDGE Analysis

James' status for the preseason opener had been uncertain due to an undisclosed reason. However, he'll be available to get his second NBA preseason underway.

James (undisclosed) will not play in Friday's Summer League game against the Nuggets, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

James will sit out the Lakers' Summer League finale, likely for rest rather than injury-related reasons. He logged meaningful minutes this summer after appearing in 27 regular-season NBA games during the 2024-25 campaign.

James tallied 18 points (7-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five assists, three rebounds and one steal across 28 minutes in Thursday's 87-78 Summer League loss to the Celtics.

EDGE Analysis

James kept his offensive momentum going in Summer League, leading the Lakers in scoring Thursday. He appeared in 27 regular-season games last season, averaging 2.3 points in 6.7 minutes per contest.

James tallied 17 points (6-10 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and five assists across 24 minutes in Monday's 67-58 Summer League loss to the Clippers.

EDGE Analysis

James led the team in assists and scoring, finishing as one of two Lakers players to record double-digit points. The 20-year-old looked sharp in his third Summer League appearance and has now scored at least 14 points in back-to-back games, shooting 52.4 percent from the field over those two outings.

James finished the 2024-25 campaign with averages of 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, 0.7 rebounds, 0.3 three-pointers and 0.3 steals across 6.7 minutes per game in 27 regular-season appearances (one start).

EDGE Analysis

James recorded no counting stats in four total minutes over two games during the Lakers' first-round series loss to the Timberwolves. The rookie second-round pick didn't make much of an impact for the Lakers this season, though he spent a significant amount of time with the club's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. The 20-year-old performed fairly well in 18 appearances with South Bay, averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from downtown across 31.4 minutes per game. James isn't expected to carve out a significant role with Los Angeles in the 2025-26 campaign, but he could continue to receive playing time in the G League as he develops.

James is not in the starting lineup for Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Saturday, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Lakers rested most of their regulars for the regular-season finale against the Trail Blazers on April 13, meaning James was one of the players who enjoyed an expanded role, but that won't be the case in this playoff opener. With Austin Reaves starting at shooting guard, James isn't expected to see a lot of minutes off the bench.

James will be in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Trail Blazers, Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

James will make the first start of his NBA career Sunday with the Lakers resting their star players. The rookie guard has averaged 2.2 points in the 20 games he's played this season.

James (illness) is available for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

James was held out of Tuesday's loss against the Thunder due to illness, but the rookie will be available in this matchup and could see minutes off the bench. James has averaged just 9.3 minutes per game since the beginning of March, though, so he's not expected to have a big role in fantasy.