On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers lost for the fifth time in seven games with a 109-80 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With the Lakers in the midst of an early-season slump and the soon-to-be 40-year-old LeBron James dealing with one of his worst shooting slumps since his rookie season, Lakers coach JJ Redick was cautious when asked about James be there or not Playing all 82 games this season was realistic.

James, who stated that playing in all 82 contests is his goal this season, has played in each of the first 21 games for Los Angeles. He has only played in all 82 regular season contests once in his career, with the Cavaliers in 2017-18.

“I think we measure players and can tell if a guy is getting hot or whatever,” Redick said when asked about James on Monday. “He does a remarkable job of taking care of his body and recovering. I don’t know if that’s in his best interest and our best interest if he (plays all 82 games), but if he’s feeling good and we’re feeling good. “But of course we want to do it in the best possible way.”

James scored just 10 points on 4 of 16 shooting in Monday night’s loss and is 0 of 19 in his last four games. On Monday, James shot below 45% for the sixth consecutive season, his longest shooting streak under 45% since his rookie season in 2004.

When James was asked if he attended all 82 games, he quickly replied:

“That’s a goal, but we’ll see. I’m not discussing that at the moment.”

The Lakers return to the stage on Wednesday night when they take on the Miami Heat.