At 39 years old, LeBron James must conserve his energy throughout the long NBA season to give himself the best chance to continue playing at a high level. In some people’s minds, that may mean playing a game every now and then to get some rest.

Keeping him is especially important considering he played in the Olympics a few months ago, meaning he hasn’t had a full summer to rest and recover from last season.

James did not play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ first preseason game on Oct. 4, and he sat out again Thursday night when they took on the Phoenix Suns. TNT’s Jared Greenberg reported that James will not play in LA’s final preseason game on Friday, which will be against the Golden State Warriors.

Some may feel that the four-time MVP is seemingly taking a nonchalant attitude toward the exhibition schedule. But a little extra rest could do him a lot of good, especially considering the challenging schedule Los Angeles has to start the regular season.

It will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday before playing the Suns again on October 25-28. In between these games against Phoenix is ​​one against the Sacramento Kings on October 27.

The second game against Phoenix will be the start of a five-game road trip for the Lakers, and that trip includes games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James will reportedly miss the Lakers’ final preseason game