"Knocking LeBron for wanting to play basketball, that seems a little unfair to me" - JJ Redick believes LeBron James should manage his injury and carry on playing this season
LeBron James’ path this season has another hurdle after he rolled his ankle in a loss against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
At age 37, James has found a scoring rhythm, averaging 30.1 points through 55 games – including a 39-point outing in the 116-108 loss in New Orleans.
Former NBA player redick" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">JJ Redick, analyst Brian Windhorst and former basketball player Monica McNutt, discussed whether James should be shutting it down for the season Tuesday. That was brought up earlier this season, considering the shape the LA Lakers are in leading up to Tuesday's game at the Dallas Mavericks.
While McNutt and Windhorst leaned towards James getting rest, Redick called out the media for displaying double standards:
“I don’t think it’s right that we as the media are gonna get mad at players and teams for load management and resting guys while simultaneously knocking LeBron for wanting to play basketball. That seems a little unfair to me.”
James has played 37.2 minutes per game, which is higher than his previous four seasons. Over these games, James has put up a commendable season in terms of individual contributions, but the results haven’t been going his way. The LA Lakers (31-43) are struggling despite James’ sizeable contributions, which include 33 games scoring 30 or more points.
Most 30-point games that end in losses this season:
17 — LeBron James
16 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
No other player has more than 9. https://t.co/Y1mRmapQ3W
Redick suggested that James should manage the injury and be back by saying:
“I don’t think he should sit. I think he should manage this injury as he would any injury, as should AD (Anthony Davis). I think those two guys should come back.”
However, with just eight games left in the regular season – and the Lakers sitting in 10th place – James’ return could prove to be meaningless. It all depends on how much rest he needs before coming back.
LeBron James’ Lakers at the brink of missing the playoffs
The Lakers have won only three of their last seven games and are 4-12 since the All-Star break. But despite the inconsistencies, LeBron James’ offensive output has given them a chance. Now, with James missing a few games, it’ll be interesting to see how they respond. Of their eight remaining games, only one is against a lower-tier team – the OKC Thunder.
Redick threw light on the concerns for the Lakers in this final stretch:
“I think if the Spurs want the 10th seed, they can get the 10th seed. We look at the Lakers’ schedule the rest of the year, not sure if these two guys (LeBron and James) are coming back. I think there’s a godo chance they don’t even end up with the 10th seed if LeBron plays.”
The Spurs have moved within 0.5 games of the Lakers for the final play-in spot.
Here we go. 👀 https://t.co/yGbXb21nCx
With no clear indication on Anthony Davis’ return and James’ recent injury, the Lakers will expect Russell Westbrook and the rest of the crew to step up.
The Spurs (31-44) are just a half-game behind the Lakers in the standings, leaving no margin of error for the franchise. Westbrook having the floor to himself will be an interesting proposition for the next couple of games at least, provided he can spark some defensive energy into the roster.