Throughout the course of his soon-to-be 21 years in the NBA, LeBron James has averaged a whopping 38.1 minutes per game. That’s standard for modern-day stars and the 15th-highest in league history, but not by a wide margin.
Only Elgin Baylor (40.03), Allen Iverson (41.12), Oscar Robertson (42.20), Bill Russell (42.29), and Wilt Chamberlain (45.80) averaged over 40 minutes a night, and neither of them cracked the top 10 in total career games — unlike LeBron, who ranks 10th with 1,422.
Durability has never been an issue for James, who missed a grand total of 71 games in his first 15 seasons in the league, especially considering the fact that he made it to the NBA Finals eight years in a row. However, he’s about to turn 39 years old, and he’s missed 98 games in the past five seasons alone.
That’s why James was on the floor for just 29 minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets. Moreover, coach Darvin Ham confirmed that’s not likely to change as the season progresses.
LeBron James
Darvin Ham Confirms Minutes Limit For LeBron James
“We’ll see,” the second-year coach said after the game when asked about James’ low minutes becoming a season-long trend. “In all likelihood, yes.”
It’s also worth noting that the game was out of reach late in the fourth quarter, so it made no sense to risk their superstar for a lost cause. Still, there were key stretches of the game when James would’ve usually been on the floor, but not last night.
Of course, this could also be a fluid situation. James has defied Father Time for way too long already, and while he’s not a young player anymore, he’s also shown unprecedented durability and longevity, and doesn’t take as long as other players to nurse injuries.
LeBron Will Do What’s Best For The Team
When asked about this situation, James didn’t seem too happy at all. However, as a veteran, he understands roles and workloads will change, so he claimed he was going to follow the team’s guidelines:
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers
“I always want to be on the floor,” LeBron told the media postgame. “Especially if you’ve got an opportunity to win the game or you feel like you can make an impact. But, I guess there’s a system in place, and I’ll follow it.”
Needless to say, that means other players will have to step up big time and pick up the slack in those 18+ minutes LeBron is sitting on the bench, and it all starts with Anthony Davis.
Davis failed to live up to his words from the offseason, scoring 17 points in the first half and being held scoreless on just six shot attempts in the second. He claimed he was looking forward to a rematch with the Nuggets, yet couldn’t get anything going against their double-teams.
see also
Lakers to get Bronny James at all costs as LeBron sets new career goal before retirement
James is one of the greatest players of all time, and he could make an impact even on ‘limited’ minutes, scoring 21 points with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 three-pointer on 62.5% from the floor, but the Lakers can’t put all their stock on a 39-year-old, not even LeBron James.
SurveyWho will step up for the Lakers?
Who will step up for the Lakers?
ALREADY VOTED 0 PEOPLE
