Ahead of the Lakers' game against the Timberwolves on Friday, Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel said star forward LeBron James is back to participating in on-court activities with a "day-to-day" timetable for his return.
James, who turns 37 on December 30, suffered an abdominal strain in the Lakers' 119–117 win against the Rockets on Nov. 2. James recorded a double-double, finishing with 30 points—including 14 in the fourth quarter—and 10 assists.
Since then, the four-time NBA champ has missed the Lakers' last four games and will miss Friday's game against Minnesota. His latest injury is unrelated to the groin tear that caused him to miss 27 games in the '18-19 season, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Last season, James appeared in 45 regular season games in the shortened 72-game schedule.
Through six games this season, James—in Year 19—has averaged 24.8 points, 7.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game assists while shooting 46.7% from the floor, his lowest field goal percentage since his rookie year. He is playing 37.1 minutes per game, ranked seventh in the league for minutes per game this season. None of the six players averaging more minutes are over the age of 30.
