As LeBron James has shown during the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024-25 season, he’s still got enough left in the tank to be the best player on the floor on any given night.
James has found his offensive groove the past week after a rough stretch of shooting the basketball, though that hasn’t necessarily turned into wins for the Lakers. For example, James broke out in a blowout loss to the Miami Heat and followed it up with a massive triple-double in a losing overtime effort against the Atlanta Hawks.
With James turning 40 years old at the end of December, head coach JJ Redick’s got to find a balance between relying on James to bail out the Lakers and finding him enough rest to ensure he gets to the end of the regular season and potentially the playoffs in one piece. With that in mind, it was no surprise that Los Angeles ruled out James for their home matchup against the hapless Portland Trail Blazers with foot soreness.
Because the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA Emirates Cup’s knockout stage, they’ll have additional days off throughout the week that Redick believes will be good for James who can use the time to get right physically.
“Yeah, I mean, you don’t want him out of the lineup, that’s for sure,” Redick said. “But it is an opportunity to get four days rest before we practice again. So it could be really good for him.”
It is unclear when exactly James injured the foot, but Redick said that he first learned of it after the team’s loss to the Miami Heat this past week.
While not much has been reported on James’ foot issue, it’s likely not serious and he shouldn’t be forced to miss any time. Getting James as many maintenance days as they can is crucial for his long-term health, even when the team is in the middle of a funk.
As Redick pointed out, the time off should be good for James but for the rest of the team as well.
LeBron James believes Lakers need to avoid drowning until injured players return
The Lakers have already dealt with their fair share of injuries that have exposed how thin they are, especially in the front court. With several expected rotation player still sidelined, LeBron James emphasized the need for him and the team to avoid drowning until reinforcements arrive.
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