It’s no secret that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is in his 22nd season and on the verge of turning 40 years old later this month.
What James is still able to do at his age is incredible, but there’s no denying that he can benefit from getting some rest.
LeBron played in each of the Lakers’ first 23 games before missing his first one last Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers due to foot soreness.
Because of the Emirates NBA Cup, the Lakers have had a little break in their schedule as they don’t return to the court until Friday night when they travel to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that, they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday before getting three more days off.
It appears the Lakers are using this time to get James some extra rest as he is unlikely to suit up on Friday, per Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is unlikely to play Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told ESPN.
It would give James, who missed Sunday’s game with foot soreness, eight days in between games if he returns Sunday against Memphis.
Because of the NBA Cup, the Lakers are able to take a prudent approach with the schedule to allow James to recalibrate and recharge his body.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick used this week to allow his whole team to rest and reset as they only had one practice on Wednesday. James was not in attendance for that as he was away from the team for an excused personal absence.
When speaking about his star though, Redick admitted that the workload has weighed on James and they are looking for opportunities to get him rest.
“In game, he’s asked for a sub a couple times because he’s gassed,” Redick said Wednesday. “For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest.”
With more days off coming up, it will be interesting to see if James also sits out Sunday’s game against Memphis to allow for a full two-week reset, which is extremely valuable this time of year.
Vince Carter believes LeBron James is playing too many minutes
In his 22nd NBA season, LeBron James is still playing 35 minutes per game for the Lakers. Another NBA legend who continued playing at James’ age was Vince Carter, and he feels the Lakers star is playing too much to begin the season.
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