LeBron James sat out the Los Angeles Lakers’ 133-121 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, due to left foot injury management as the team continues to monitor his workload.
The 40-year-old is only recently back from the sciatica issue that sidelined him for the opening stretch of the season, and it’s not the first time he has dealt with problems in his left foot.
“It is an injury he’s had in the past,” head coach JJ Redick said pregame. “It’s something we’ve had to manage in the past.
“Given the back-to-back and the fact that he’s basically just coming off his training camp – this has been his training camp over the last 10 days or so – just being cautious.”
Sunday’s meeting with New Orleans was the first half of a back-to-back, with the Lakers set to face the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Rich Paul, James’ agent and longtime friend, told reporters last week that he prefers James to avoid back-to-back appearances to reduce physical strain as he plays through his 23rd NBA season.
Redick stopped short of confirming that approach long-term, making clear that the team will re-evaluate as the year progresses.
“We’re going to build him up, hopefully, to be able to play in back-to-backs,” he said. “That’s the goal.
“Every back-to-back is a case-by-case, that’s just the reality of the NBA right now. But we want him to be able to play in back-to-backs, so does he. So we’re going to work towards that.”
James has averaged 16.5 points, 8.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds over four appearances since returning, and the Lakers have won all four of those games.
They were also without Marcus Smart again due to back spasms, while Gabe Vincent returned to the starting lineup in James’ absence.
