On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers looked completely out of sorts without their offensive leader, 20-time All-NBA honoree power forward LeBron James.

The league’s oldest active player, who turns 40 in 16 days, missed his second straight game with a left foot injury.

According to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register, first-year Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick simply said “no” when reporters asked him if he knew when the four-time Finals MVP would be back in the lineup.

Although LA didn’t have much to offer during the weak loss to Minnesota, at least Austin Reaves looked pretty darn good in his first game back since suffering a bruised pelvis in the Lakers’ 101-93 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 29 . Against Minnesota on Friday night, Reaves scored 18 points on 6 of 16 shooting from the floor (4 of 8 from deep) and 2 of 2 shooting from the foul line, grabbing six rebounds and provided five assists.

Price writes that before the game, Redick raved about what a returning Reaves would mean for LA’s squad.

“He’s one of our best players and he can give us some momentum and speed in the halfcourt,” Redick said. “Different playmaker, different ball handler. Due to the wing defenders and high pressure, multiple ballplayers are required on the field every game against the Timberwolves. And then spiritually he is a competitor. I’m looking forward to having him back in the squad.”

Without the 6-foot-2 Oklahoma product, Los Angeles went mediocre at 2-3. According to Price, the Lakers posted an offensive rating of 103.8, or points scored per 100 possessions, without Reaves. That number represents the NBA’s third-worst rating through those five games. With Reaves on the roster for the first 19 games of the 2024-25 season, Los Angeles posted a far better offensive rating of 115.5.

“For us, we have to be aware that as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes,” Redick said after a practice on Wednesday, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “And on Sunday, when he was struggling with the foot problem, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest.”

Should James be back for the club’s clash against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, eight days will have passed between the 1.90 meter tall frontcourt player’s battles. Woike pointed out that the four-time league MVP would have 13 days off, but he should wait until Los Angeles travels north to face the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at the Golden 1 Center.

Elsewhere in Friday night’s game, Anthony Davis, the All-NBA Lakers’ star center, led Los Angeles in the loss with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. All-NBA Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 23 points on 9 of 20 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 shooting from the charity stripe. All-Star power forward Julius Randle had 21 points. Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while small forward Jaden McDaniels (18 points) and reigning center/power forward Naz Reid (10 points) each also scored in double figures.

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