LeBron James played limited minutes in his first game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even though he’s a contender, it looks like that may be here to stay.
James played only 29 minutes in the Lakers’ first loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Lakers head coach Davin Hamm said his playing time will likely be reduced.
“We’ll see,” Hamm said. “Probably yes.”
The Lakers believe they need to keep James healthy to be successful, and playing time is a big factor in his health during his age-21 season.
“He gets so caught up in the emotion of the game that you tend to forget you want to play such a long game,” Ham said.
“In order for him to be as efficient as possible, we have to pay attention to the output per minute and his stretch time.”
James has averaged 38.1 minutes per game in his career. The opener against the Nuggets was nearly ten minutes shorter than that.
“I think there’s a system in place and I’m going to follow it,” James said to the athletics team.
Last season, James played less than 29 minutes only once in 55 games.
That game also occurred during James’ season-ending injury.
“You always want to be on the court,” James said after the first loss. “
“Especially when you have a chance to win a game or you feel like you can make an impact.”
“I think for me and my performance on the field, I think I was productive.”
It sounds like James does want to play. More games and the Lakers’ record will prove whether they can afford to sit him out.
At the same time, the team’s other superstars such as Anthony Davis must also step up.