After an offseason to get fully healthy, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James appears locked and loaded entering Year 21.
James was able to play through a torn tendon in his foot toward the end of the 2022-23 season and playoffs, but the King was able to get the rest and rehab in that he needed to get back to 100 percent. Although training camp just started, Darvin Ham noted that James looks like he has his pre-injury burst back which is a great sign for the Lakers as they’ll be counting on him to get them to the postseason.
With James turning 39 years old later this year, Los Angeles and the coaching staff needed to be careful when it comes to his workload and minutes. Even though he’s looking healthy now, the Lakers have to be mindful of not wearing him down before the games really start to matter.
However, it seems like James is already doing what’s best for him and his body as he confirmed that he’ll sit out the team’s preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors this Saturday and will only play in around half the team’s preseason games.
“Six of them, six preseason games, so hopefully I can get to at least half of them. But we’ll see,” James said after practice on Thursday. “I think every game will dictate it. I will not be playing in Saturday’s game, that’s for sure, in the Bay. But we’ll see after that.”
This was the expectation all along as James works his way back into game shape and injury. While it would be good for him to get as many reps with the team as possible, keeping him healthy should be the organization’s number one priority.
Playing about half of the preseason slate is a good plan as that should give James enough time to catch a rhythm before the start of the regular season. With his wealth of experience and knowledge, the 38-year-old won’t need a whole lot of games to get back into the swing of things.
Without James, Ham will get the opportunity to evaluate some of the other players on the roster. Preseason results may not matter, but they can go a long way in helping a team get off on the right foot.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis open to playing in 2024 Paris Olympics
Another reason to keep James as fresh as possible is he seems intent on representing Team USA in next year’s 2024 Paris Olympics. Both Anthony Davis and James expressed interest in playing for the national team and they would be massive boosts to the roster.
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