LeBron James has missed the last two Los Angeles Lakers games with a foot injury, and it looks like some people around the team were very surprised that James was playing so many minutes recently given the ailment.
James has logged 39 minutes of playing time or more in three of the last five games that he’s suited up for.
The topic was discussed on a recent episode of Brian Windhorst’s podcast.
“Some of the people I speak to around the team, let’s put it that way, were like, ‘What are we doing here, playing him 40 minutes again?'” Dave McMenamin relayed. “‘We’re going to run him into the ground?’ And it’s not the minutes necessarily. It’s the minutes while a player is dealing with something that’s been pervasive.”
Clearly, this is something that James could be dealing with from here on out this season. One of the primary questions regarding the injury is whether or not playing on the foot could risk further — more serious — injury or if it is simply a matter of pain tolerance.
The recovery time is also a question.
Either way, it makes sense why James is missing games right now, and it may not be much of a shock to see him miss the next couple of games either. The Lakers have just two more games prior to the All-Star break. They play on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers and Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Given the injury, it would make sense for James to sit out both of those games in order to take full advantage of the week off due to the All-Star Game.
If he sits out Monday and Wednesday and plays in the team’s first game back after the All-Star break, James will have enjoyed a 16-day break. That would offer a nice bit of recovery time for his foot and any other ailments that may be bothering him at this point in the season.
With all that in mind, James will eventually have to decide whether or not to suit up for the All-Star Game itself. James is once again one of the captains for the midseason classic, and it would be a shame for him to not play due to injury.
Only time will tell what James’ recovery looks like from here on out.
