JR Smith claims LeBron James is ‘going to go’ in Cavs’ season opener

The matchup everyone is waiting for is LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the Boston Celtics with their new star point guard, Kyrie Irving.

There has been some doubt about whether LeBron would be ready for this NBA season opener between these two Eastern Conference heavyweights. The three-time NBA champion has been dealing with an ankle issue, but it appears his teammate JR Smith is confident the perennial All-Star will be on the floor for his first matchup against Irving on Oct. 17, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin .

There’s no way LeBron James’ sprained left ankle will keep him out of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ regular-season opener against Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics — at least according to JR Smith. “Oh, he’s going to go,” Smith said after practice Monday. “He’s going to go, trust me on that. I don’t care what he’s got to do, he’s going to play.”

James played in only one of the five preseason games for the Cavs leading to the speculation that his injury may be worse than he and the team have let on. That remains to be seen, but it will be determined when Cleveland takes on Boston on Tuesday.

If for whatever reason James is unable to go on Tuesday, the Cavs’ next game will take place on Fri. Oct. 20 against the Milwaukee Bucks followed by a matchup with the Orlando Magic back in Cleveland on Sat. Oct. 21.

The Cavs will play four of their seven games in October in Cleveland with road games against the Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, and New Orleans Pelicans.