Alabama Basketball Practice Nov.19

Alabama guard/forward Nick King (0) shoots during Alabama basketball practice, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com ORG XMIT: ALBIN401

(VASHA HUNT)

The mysterious condition that has sidelined Nick King indefinitely is a lung infection, Alabama coach Avery Johnson said Wednesday.

King is being treated by team physician Craig Buettner and is on antibiotics. There is no timetable for his return.

"He's in pretty good spirits," Johnson said. "Obviously, he wants to play. But at this point, we have to do what's best to get him healthy."

King, a junior guard/forward, missed his first game last Sunday, when the Crimson Tide lost to Oregon.

Johnson said King dropped "15 pounds" in a span of seven days after he started to feel ill during a tournament in Las Vegas last month.

King's father, Greg, said his son experienced severe coughing fits that affected his ability to sleep.

Johnson indicated that there were other factors that contributed to King's rapid weight loss but he wouldn't elaborate on what those were. He did say, however, that King has not been around the team even though he will remain on campus through at least Friday, when he's expected to go home until after the Christmas break. Johnson added that King is making daily visits to Coleman Coliseum in the morning to meet with athletic trainer Clarke Holter and he has been advised to stay indoors.

"Once we get [the infection] cleared up, then he will be released to get reconditioned with our strength and conditioning coach," Johnson said. "We still have a ways to go. But he's slowly improving. We're not back 100 percent yet, obviously."

King is averaging 3.3 points per game this season and started the last two games he played.