EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers met as a team Wednesday for the first time since Sunday’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, with only one key figure missing from the group: LeBron James.

“LeBron is not with the team right now,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after practice. “He is out for personal reasons, his absence is excused.”

James sat out the Blazers game due to soreness in his left foot. It was the first game the 39-year-old James missed all season.

Because the schedule called for a break — LA plays just two games in a 10-day stretch from Dec. 9-18 — Redick gave the entire team Monday off and designated Tuesday as an optional, get-what-you-go day you need.

Redick met individually with many of the Lakers’ players on Tuesday, but James was not present, the coach said.

The coach was asked about the upcoming break on Sunday and made it clear that he would give his players the freedom to use the time as they saw fit.

“Hell, if somebody wants to spend a few nights in Santa Barbara and relax, that’s fine too,” Redick said after the Blazers game. “It’s a quarter of the season.”

Redick added that James “needs some time” at the moment and he wasn’t sure if the 22-year veteran would be back with the team for Friday’s next road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lakers backup center Christian Koloko said James’ presence was missed but he wasn’t worried that his absence would put him behind in the team’s plans.

“I mean, we know he already knows everything,” Koloko said. “He will come back and still be the same. He will give everything on the pitch.”

“We just have to do our part and get better so that when he comes back he can just look at us and say, ‘Oh yeah, (they) actually worked’ when he was away.” But We know that he will come back and just take over everything. He’s been in the NBA for a long time.

This season, James is averaging 23 points on 49.5% shooting (35.9% from 3), 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds. Redick said he is in constant communication with James and his longtime athletic trainer Mike Mancias about managing the four-time MVP’s workload as he approaches his 40th birthday at the end of the month.

“He was asked to come on a couple of times in the game because he was gassed,” Redick said. “For us, we have to be clear as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect that playing a lot of minutes brings, and on Sunday it felt like it was a good opportunity for him to get some rest, because his foot was hit.”

Redick added that Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves, who missed the last five games with a left pelvic injury, returned to practice Wednesday and was able to join his teammates for most drills.

“I wouldn’t call Austin a full participant,” Redick said. “There was one thing he sat out that we suggested to him…that probably wasn’t good for him, just because of the nature of the exercise. It was mostly a physical exercise and I just wanted to watch his pain tolerance. But.” He fully participated in all 5-on-5, live and breakdown drills.

According to Redick, Reaves is considered a day candidate for the Minnesota game.