Will LeBron James Play in Back-to-Backs for Lakers? JJ Redick Discusses Plan

It's no secret that LeBron James' age is a factor at this point in his career, but even at 40 years old, he isn't opposed to playing back-to-backs.

Head coach JJ Redick told reporters Sunday that the Lakers are "going to build him up" to playing back-to-back games, noting that both James and the coaching staff are interested in him playing in back-to-backs.

James missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica on his right side before making his debut on Nov. 18 in a win over the Utah Jazz. On Sunday, James was ruled out of the Lakers' matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans because of foot management.

Even before James' injuries to start the season, the Lakers reportedly planned to avoid putting extra strain on him. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported in September that Los Angeles wanted to be "overly cautious" with James to focus on long-term goals and keep him healthy for the playoffs.

That could mean holding James out of certain games, especially those that come during the second night of a back-to-back, but for now, it seems he's willing to suit up two nights in a row.

Through his first four games of the season, James hasn't had to play quite as big a role as he's used to, which could also help him stay on the court late into the season and avoid injury. While he's still playing 30-plus minutes a night, he's focused more on distributing the ball than scoring, posting 16.5 points and 8.3 assists per game.

James is afforded the luxury of taking a backseat thanks to his co-star Luka Dončić, who is playing like an MVP so far this year. The second-year Laker leads the league in scoring (35.1) and averages the second-most assists per game (9.4), adding 8.5 rebounds per contest.

Thanks to Dončić's efforts, the Lakers are off to a 14-4 start to the season despite James playing just four games thus far.