LeBron James remains away from Lakers on absence, and JJ Redick is unsure when he will return
By Quinn Everts
Earlier this week, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick announced that LeBron James was stepping away from the team in what Redick described as an "excused absence," sighting "personal reasons" for James not being with the team.
How long James would be away was unclear when Redick announced it — and remains unclear, as Redick was direct on Friday when asked if he knew when LeBron would be back with the Lakers.
"No," Redick said, according to The Athletic Timberwolves reporter Jon Krawczynski.
Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked if he knew when LeBron would rejoin the team.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) December 13, 2024
“No.”
Left it at that.
James missed the Lakers game on Friday night due to "left foot soreness," and it reamins unclear whether James is continuing to be away from the team due to that injury, or because of the personal reasons Redick mentioned on Wednesday, or both.
James has missed the past two games, and Los Angeles next plays on Sunday against the Grizzlies, then not again until Thursday against the Sacramento Kings. Whether James will play in those games remains unclear. A sore foot isn't something to take lightly for a 39 year-old, and James should take as much time as he needs to deal with a personal matter.
We obviously will not speculate on what "personal reasons" means, as LeBron is still a human who deserves privacy when he needs it.
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Lakers offense continues to sputter in loss to Timberwolves
On the court, James' absence was felt heavily on Friday, as the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves, 97-87. Scoring 87 points in an NBA game in 2024 is impressive — just not the way Los Angeles wants to be impressive.
Anthony Davis scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Austin Reaves played well in his first game since November 29th... and that's about where the good news stops for Los Angeles.
This team doesn't have nearly enough offensive firepower to compete with good teams on a nightly basis. JJ Redick is a good coach — but creative sets can only conceal so much. Eventually, players are going to have to start scoring off-script, and the Lakers don't have enough guys who can do that, especially without LeBron James.