24 games into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of work to do to improve their 12-12 record. In the offseason, the basketball community had much higher expectations for the purple and gold at this point.
Practically nothing has been working for the Lakers so far. Russell Westbrook has left a lot to be desired, the team has failed to put many games away when it had the lead, and it has missed LeBron James on several occasions.
Fortunately, The King got back sooner than expected following a false positive Covid-19 test. The Lakers have been heavily relying on James so far, which translated into a lot of workload on the 37-year-old. But Frank Vogel says to be very aware of it.
Frank Vogel says Lakers always monitor LeBron James' playing time
The concern around the Lakers' dependence on LeBron not only has to do with the team struggling to find other ways to get results. At 37 years of age, he might be carrying too much workload on his shoulders.
LeBron is averaging 36.9 minutes per game, his highest since he joined the Lakers and the most he has averaged since the 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. But everything is under control, according to Frank Vogel.
“We’re always monitoring his load and just being intelligent with it,” Vogel said, per SB Nation's Silver Screen and Roll. “Obviously the overtime games are what they are. He’s going to be in there for those, but like you said, he has missed some time.
"The totality is I think less of a concern than if he played a triple-overtime game and then you played the next night, do you exercise caution in those instances? It’s just something that literally we monitor on a daily basis. We rely on the medical team and feedback on how he’s feeling and make smart decisions.”
Despite the concern around his playing time is valid, it's LeBron James who we're talking about. It's not just an ordinary veteran. If there's someone who can manage this workload, it's him.
Besides, we also have to consider the fact that he has been out for a number of games this season. Once he gets to play more regularly, maybe Vogel and company can manage his load differently. However, it's also true that in order to rest him more his teammates must turn up their game fast.
