JJ Redick Has Concerning Response About LeBron James' Injury Timeline

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their eighth game in their last 11 on Friday night when they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. More concerning than the disappointing on-court performance, however, was LeBron James' second straight absence despite a five-day rest since the Lakers' last game.

Earlier in the week, LeBron James missed practice time because he was away from the team for personal reasons. Head coach JJ Redick referred to it as an "excused absence". For Friday's game against the Timberwolves, however, James had an injury designation as "foot soreness". As if this wasn't eyebrow-raising enough, Redick's response when asked if he knew when his 39-year-old superstar would rejoin the team was even more worrisome.

Redick said he didn't know and left it at that, per The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.

Lakers News: JJ Redick Has No Idea When LeBron James is Returning

This has largely been a disappointing season for the Lakers and James as fans finally started seeing signs of his basketball mortality. In his age-40 season, James has looked a step slower, averaging his lowest points per game since his rookie campaign and one of the least efficient seasons of his career. He is averaging fewer free throw attempts per game than any of his previous seasons and has by far the highest turnover rate of his career.

This is to be expected for a player at his age who has played over 35 minutes per game without missing any time in the first 23 games of the season. James is simply carrying too big of a load for this Lakers team bereft of high-end talent and depth.

Perhaps this is a case of rest and load management. Perhaps there is something else going on with the four-time NBA Champion. Whatever it is, the Lakers need to devise a better plan to preserve their aging superstar for the second half of the season and the postseason.

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