LeBron James has played the first 23 games of the 2024-25 NBA season, but now he’s set to miss his second straight game as the Lakers officially ruled James out for Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves because of a sore left foot have.

Scheduling the NBA Cup has allowed James to take over a week off and catch up without missing a large portion of the Lakers’ schedule. He last played last Friday against Atlanta and recorded a triple-double with 39 points.

This will be LA’s first game since Sunday – which LeBron also missed – and the Lakers’ next game is Sunday and the next game after that The is next Thursday.

If LeBron sat out Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies and then returned Thursday against the Kings, he would have 12 days off and only missed three games. That kind of rest shouldn’t be overlooked for a 39-year-old who still carries a heavy load for his team.

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LeBron played 71 games last season, his most since 2017-18. Then He helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Since then he hasn’t had a long rest period last Therefore, it would be wise for the Lakers to be extra careful when James feels pain.

For someone who puts in so much effort to stay in top shape, the best way to trust James is to ask for a few days off, and the Lakers appear to be doing that.

The only problem, of course, is that James is currently off the pitch in LA. Even though James’ scoring stats are starting to decline, his impact on the floor is still that of an All-Star, perhaps All-NBA player. At 13-11 in a competitive Western Conference, the Lakers don’t have much wiggle room if their stars are sidelined. Still, giving James a break until he’s back to 100 percent is the right managerial move, especially when games are as far apart as they have been this month.