LeBron James is entering his 21st season. What he has accomplished from a longevity standpoint will likely never be repeated again in the NBA. With that being said, the Lakers are going to carefully monitor his minutes this year in order preserve the four-time champions’ longevity. We got a glimpse of what James is still capable of in the opening night game against the defending champion, Denver Nuggets. While the Lakers still lost, LeBron James was certainly not the reason for the defeat. It was a night where the Lakers superstar only logged 29 minutes. Head coach, Darvin Ham, had this to say about his playing time.
“It’s easy with him to get caught up in the emotion of the game and you tend to forget you want to play these long stretches, but in order for him to be as effective as possible, we have to be mindful of the minute output and how long his stretches are,” Ham said.
LeBron James himself is also on board with the current plan.
“Listen, I mean, I always want to be on the floor. Especially when you got an opportunity to win a game or you feel like you can make an impact,” James said. “But this is the system in place and I’m going to follow it.”
We will see if this plan remains in place as the season progresses.
Los Angeles Lakers Plan to Limit LeBron James’ Minutes This Season
LeBron James’ Performance Against the Denver Nuggets on Opening Night
While LeBron James did have a couple of less than stellar moments in the season opener, he was still effective overall. The moments such as hitting the side of the backboard on a three-point shot attempt could simply be attributed to being rusty. James proved all night he is still one of the best drivers of the basketball in the NBA.
For the night, the King finished with a stat line of 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. He even spearheaded a couple runs for the Lakers which cut the deficit to single digits at a few points during the matchup with the Nuggets. While it was not enough to get the win, James proved he is still capable in year 21. However, some still question just how far this Lakers squad can go this year.
Can the Los Angeles Lakers Still Contend This Season?
Despite the loss, the Los Angeles Lakers proved they are still a legitimate team in the Western Conference. A Western Conference Finals rematch is definitely in the cards for this season. Many say the Lakers were the winners of the offseason with offseason acquisitions such as Gabe Vincent and Christian Wood. Los Angeles had the makeup to give plenty of teams fits this year led by their dynamic duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, even with limited minutes. All in all, one loss to the defending champions should not be the defining factor for how this season will potentially play out for LeBron James and company.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
