Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is entering an unprecedented 21st NBA season. And he does so while still remaining one of the best players in the NBA and a player that could certainly lead L.A. to a championship this season. But his age and mileage raises some questions for head coach Darvin Ham and his staff.
In his five seasons with the Lakers, James has missed the most time he has ever missed in his impressively durable career. He played 55 of 82 games in 2018-19, 45 of 72 in 2020-21, 56 of 82 in 2021-22 and 55 of 82 in 2022-23. With that said, it is now fair to question if James is capable of playing 60-65 games in a season, or if missing 25 or more games can be assumed.
One of the ways the Lakers can avoid James missing long stretches with injury is by load managing him at various points throughout the season. It’s an option that Ham is considering, but says it will be an ongoing conversation as the campaign progresses.
“It’s a day-by-day deal. It’s been a great thing to collaborate with the medical staff and with him, myself, Rob [Pelinka]. We’ll come up with a solid plan,” Ham said. “Again, it’s easy with him to navigate those so-called challenges of the unknown because he takes such good care of himself. Constantly preparing himself.
“Again, not just to be available but available at the highest level, and again, we’ll just take it day-by-day and see where it goes, but just definitely him playing half of the (preseason) games. That was the plan and is the plan. We won’t waver from that, but outside of that, everything else, we’ll just take it day by day.”
James is one of the most physically prepared players in the NBA. He does everything possible to ensure that he is in the best shape to help his team compete. And while he would certainly prefer to play in every game, that isn’t always possible in Year 21 at age 38 going on 39.
The Lakers have built a strong enough roster this season that they should be able to weather the storm of James missing games here and there. It’s all in an effort to keep him healthy for the postseason while avoiding any prolonged absences during the regular season.
While the NBA has put new rules in place to stop teams and players from load managing, James is exempt due to his age and experience so the Lakers will be able to sit him out whenever they please in order to remain fresh and healthy.
James featured on NBA GM Survey
While the Lakers as a whole, and particularly Anthony Davis, were left out of the 2023-24 edition of the NBA GM Survey, James found himself at or towards the top of several categories, including highest IQ and best leader.
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