JJ Redick confirmed that LeBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers' Friday fixture against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to "personal reasons".
James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, was also absent from the Lakers' 107-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers with foot soreness, his first missed game of the season.
The 39-year-old expressed a desire earlier this season to play in all 82 games, but the Lakers are now being practical with the minor injuries that arise during any campaign.
While he already has six triple-doubles this season, his 23 points per game are the lowest he's posted since his rookie season, over 20 years ago with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, however, is averaging eight rebounds and nine assists per game, both over his career totals, but Redick said the four-time MVP asked for some time away from the court.
"LeBron is not with the team right now," Redick told reporters after practice. "He’s out for personal reasons, an excused absence."
"For us, we have to be cognisant as we play more and more games," Redick said ahead of the game.
"Just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest."
The Lakers are on a 3-7 skid since their 10-4 start to the season, but Redick remains confident in their ability to fix the problems.
Redick highlighted the importance of remaining strong defensively against the Timberwolves, insisting that communication will be key to halting their recent slump.
“In the Minnesota game, we were in a 1-5 ‘Red’ to start, did not execute our switches, were not physical, did not communicate,” Redick said.
“Communication was a big issue in Miami as well, no matter what we tried with matchups. Again, you can’t play basketball and not talk.
"So in terms of technique and schemes, if you don’t talk, you’re dead.
“So in terms of tweaking stuff, we’ve done it in coverage, we’ve done it with 1-5, and we’ve done it being physical, and we’ve done it talking.
"That’s what we have to do, and we can make adjustments on that. If you’re not talking, and you’re not competing, you can’t really make adjustments.”