Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The idea of limiting LeBron James’ workload this season got off to a rocky start for the Los Angeles Lakers, with the superstar showing some displeasure with how he was used in an early-season loss to the Denver Nuggets Tuesday.
“You all know I can play point guard, right?” James said. “Well, we have a lot left. “I can play point guard with Rui (Hachimura) or have Austin (Reeves) and TP (Taurean Prince) play point guard at the 2 and 3 positions. I was just hanging around outside. “
The 38-year-old played 29 minutes in the Lakers’ 119-107 loss to the defending champions, the fewest minutes of any Lakers starter. He scored 21 points on 10-for-16 shooting, along with eight rebounds and five assists.
After the game, Lakers head coach Davin Hamm said that 29 minutes of playing time may become a trend for James this season, but managing his workload will become a daily job. At least for this game, Hamm seemed to back up a preseason report that the Lakers planned to manage James’ minutes and workload more than in any of the previous five seasons.
The goal is to keep James fresh and healthy late into the season and potentially into the long playoff run. Last season, he averaged more than 35 minutes per game in 55 regular-season games before suffering a season-ending foot injury.
Two months after his 39th birthday, in his 21st NBA season, the icon played in just 11 regular season games with the Lakers, having played in over 56 regular season games. He also ends his longest playoff run since helping the team win the 2020 NBA championship.
But it’s fair to question whether he needs to be limited like he was in the first game of the season, especially in a big matchup against the team that swept the Lakers out of the 2023 Western Conference Finals. He certainly didn’t seem to think so and tried to convince the coaching staff to play him at point guard, even suggesting a rotation that allowed him to do so.
James seems willing to pass the franchise player mantle to teammate Anthony Davis, but he doesn’t seem entirely on board with his plan for playing time this season. This is an interesting situation to watch.