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Having already sat out the last two games while being away from the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James’ return to the team is unclear at this moment.
On the latest episode of his YouTube show (starts at 7:14 mark), The Athletic’s Jovan Buha said there is a “no clarity” at this point for when James will be back with the Lakers.
James sat out the Lakers’ 107-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday due to soreness in his left foot.
After James wasn’t at Wednesday’s practice, head coach JJ Redick told reporters his absence was excused and he was away due to personal seasons. He also missed Friday’s 97-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Buha noted his attempts to get clarification on the situation have not produced any answers one way or another.
James entered this season with a stated goal of wanting to play all 82 games. He started each of the first 23 games for the Lakers, but aggravated a foot issue in a Dec. 4 game against the Miami Heat.
The Lakers listed James as questionable for their next game against the Atlanta Hawks two days later. He wound up playing and finished with a triple-double of 39 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Los Angeles’ 87 points in Friday’s loss marked its second-lowest scoring game of the season. It’s ahead of only a 109-80 loss to the Timberwolves on Dec. 2.
Next up for the Lakers is a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday before back-to-back road games against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 19 and 21.
James is averaging 23.0 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game in 23 starts this season. The Lakers have lost eight of their last 11 games after a 10-4 start. They currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference standings.
