On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers lost for the fifth time in seven games in a 109-80 road defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With the Lakers in the midst of an early season valley and soon-to-be 40-year-old LeBron James struggling through one of the worst shooting slumps since his rookie season, Lakers coach JJ Redick was coy when asked about whether or not James playing all 82 games this season was realistic.
James, who stated that playing in all 82 contests is a goal of his this season, has played each of the first 21 games for Los Angeles. He has only played in all 82 regular season contests once in his career, back in 2017-18 with the Cavaliers.
"I think we're measuring players and we can tell if a guy is running hot or whatever," Redick said when asked about James on Monday. "He does a remarkable job of taking care of his body and getting recovery. I don't know if that's in the best interest of him and us if he [plays all 82 games], but if he's feeling well and feeling good, we should play. But we obviously want to manage that as best we can."
James scored just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting in Monday night's loss, and is 0-for-19 from three in his last four games. Monday marked the sixth straight game that James has shot under 45%, which is the longest streak of sub-45% shooting since his rookie season in 2004.
When James was asked about playing in all 82 games, he responded quickly:
"That's a goal, but we'll see. It's something I ain't discussing right now."
The Lakers return to the floor on Wednesday night when they take on the Miami Heat.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as JJ Redick Provides Honest Take on LeBron James's Goal of Playing Full Season.