Amid a long break for teams that didn’t advance in the NBA Cup, LeBron James is “taking some time” from Lakers practice, head coach JJ Redick said.
Redick told reporters Wednesday that James missed Wednesday’s practice for “personal reasons” and that his absence was excused. Further details of why James missed practice are unclear.
The Lakers, like the rest of the NBA that did not advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, have a few days off this week. They last played on Sunday, in a 107-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The next game will be Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
James missed Sunday’s game against Portland with left foot soreness. The absence was the first in 24 games for the Lakers this season. His status for Friday’s game against Minnesota is unclear.
Redick said before Sunday’s Trail Blazers game that the time off for James this week “could be really good for him.” After the game, he encouraged all Lakers players to make the most of the long early-season break.
“Heck, if someone wants to spend a couple nights in Santa Barbara and relax, that’s fine too,” Redick said. according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “It’s a quarter of the way through the season.”
Not being able to reach the NBA Cup knockout round certainly has its advantages.
James will turn 40 on December 30. He has averaged 23 points, 9.1 assists and eight rebounds per game this season and remains one of the most dominant forces in the league. He also showed signs of wear, including a 10-point effort in a loss to the Timberwolves on Dec. 2 that threatened to snap a streak of 1,242 consecutive games scoring in double figures.
The Lakers (13-11) also entered the NBA Cup break with seven losses in 10 games, including a 134-93 loss to the Heat on Dec. 4. If there are opportunities for James to take a step back within the confines of NBA rules, it makes sense for him and the Lakers to take advantage.
“In the game, he was asked for a substitute a couple of times because he was exhausted,” Redick said, according to McMenamin. “For us, we have to be aware as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and on Sunday, getting his foot knocked, it seemed like a good opportunity for him to get some rest.” “.
It remains to be seen if James will return for Friday’s game and beyond. His status, and the Lakers’ reasoning if he misses more time, will be worth watching.