LeBron James looked refreshed in his return to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup on Sunday. James said he would have liked to have played, but said the team did the right thing by having him take some time off.
“If it was up to just me, I probably would’ve played,” James said. “It would’ve been hard to keep me away from it. I have a team and I got to listen to them as well. They look out for my best interest.”
James who had a stated goal of playing in all 82 games this season, also said the soreness in his left foot hasn’t gone away.
“It’s not behind me,” James said of his foot issue. “It’s an everyday thing.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick said he’ll be focused on trying to find ways to keep James rested and healthy, but without forcing the veteran superstar to take games off.
“Not necessarily less minutes, but shorter runs so that he’s not getting gassed and then quicker segments on the bench and then he’s back in,” Redick said.