If Los Angeles Lakers fans thought it was interesting that Lebron James only played 29 minutes in the team’s seasoning opening loss to the champion Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, they might want to get used to that for the rest of the new season.
Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers were reminded about why they came up just short of reaching the NBA Finals earlier this year as two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic posted another triple-double en route to a dominant 119-107 victory. Nevertheless, despite the loss the team is still viewed as a title contender in 2023-2024.
Related: Denver Nuggets fans mock Los Angeles Lakers with whos your daddy chants during win
A key factor in their title hopes this season will again be the play of future Hall-of-Famer Lebron James. While he can still perform at a high level, he has become far more prone to injury as he closes in on his 39th birthday in December.
In recent years, the organization has tried to keep him healthy by giving him rest days during the season. However, that strategy has not made any real difference in aiding James in avoiding injuries. That is why the Lakers will be trying a different approach this season.
- Lebron James stats (’22-’23): 28.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 32% 3PT
Los Angeles Lakers to place Lebron James on season-long minutes limits
After playing in just 29 minutes on Tuesday, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham revealed a minutes limit will be a part of a season-long plan for the NBA legend.
“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 after the game.
The change in strategy makes sense, and Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss told Sportsnaut earlier this year that there was no evidence that showed maintenance days helped players avoid injuries. However, it will still be interesting to see if Ham sticks to that plan if the team hits slumps or is in major fights for playoff positioning late in the season.
James battled through a serious tendon injury in his foot late in the season and during the NBA playoffs.