As is the case for most teams throughout an 82-game season, there are ups and downs. Recently, it has been more down than up with the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.
After a disappointing four-game road trip, capped off by a demoralizing overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks in which James and his co-star Anthony Davis dropped 38 and 39 points respectively, the Lakers were left searching for answers on how to get back going in the right direction.
When the Lakers can get their two stars to perform at that level, those games cannot slip away in a tightly contested Western Conference. Especially for a 39-year-old aging star, who is not supposed to put up 39 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on any given night.
At that point, James needed a break to reset both mentality and physically. So, he was given the night off on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Then personal matters arose, which has put his return in peril.
When asked about a potential return for the four-time champion ahead of Friday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in which James will miss, head coach JJ Redick shared that he does not know when the star is going to rejoin the team, via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group:
JJ Redick responded "no" when asked whether he knows when LeBron James will rejoin the team.
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) December 13, 2024
First and foremost, hopefully, everything is okay with James and is able to attend to those matters. At the end of the day, the 22-year veteran does not have anything else to prove, but L.A. still needs his services to keep their heads above water.
Lengthy absences have affected each and every team to begin this season. Now, James seems to be a part of that list since Redick is not confident when his star will rejoin the team. LeBron has also been dealing with foot soreness.
With each contest that he misses, the more cause for concern there will be. Nonetheless, Redick is going to have to navigate ways to get Davis going along with somehow filling this void that James has left if they want to stay above .500.
Vince Carter believes LeBron James is playing too many minutes
Mo player has ever had the mileage that LeBron James has, particularly when it comes to the regular and postseason combined. In the latter stages of his career, those minutes have been catching up to him slowly but surely with nagging injuries.
To that point, NBA legend Vince Carter believes that James is playing too many minutes in his 22nd season, averaging 35 minutes a contest.
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