The Los Angeles Lakers need to manage LeBron Jamesā minutes; thatās just a fact. Heās playing 36.3 minutes a night at age 38, which would be unsustainable for nearly every other NBA player in history.
James is single-handedly trying to will his team into wins. And one doesnāt have to be a basketball mastermind to realize that a team needing a 38-year-old to put up 40 a night to have a shot at winning is a flawed team, to say the least.
However, with Anthony Davis out for the foreseeable future with a foot injury, thereās just no way the Lakers can afford to have LeBron off the court. Thatās a major concern for first-year coach Darvin Ham.
NBA News: Lakers Coach Darvin Ham Feels Bad For LeBron James
āI feel bad about that [playing him a lot of minutes],ā Ham said postgame.āHeās playing at an amazing level, but again we canāt run him in the ground. That was one of my main goals coming into this season.ā
āHere he is again with 36 and a half again tonight, but we just have to manage him and have clarity in terms of scaling back his minutes and, again, the non-game days being smart. His preparation is always on point,ā Ham explained.āIt is a concern ā and my staff and Iā we talkabout it all the time. But Itās tough because heās such a competitor, and weāre in these games and he wants to win, we want to win, so you kind of lose sight until after the game when you check the stat sheet.ā
James continues to defy Father Time, but a major injury at this point in his career could be catastrophic. Hopefully, that wonāt be the case, but the fans will have to blame Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss if that happens.
