No NBA coach would be satisfied or happy about robbing LeBron James of playing time. However, Los Angeles head coach Davon Hamm is. But the reasons are very different than one might first imagine. The Lakers hope “The King” doesn’t get overtired, which is why Ham will give him limited playing time.
“The idea is that LeBron James plays no more than 30 minutes a game,” the Los Angeles coach told ESPN after the first game of the season. Now the question we have to ask ourselves is: Does this really help the Lakers compete for an 18th championship?
The answer within the Zijin organization is yes. The idea behind this work plan is that LeBron James will be able to finish the regular season physically intact, something that hasn’t been possible the past two seasons.
Last season, “King James” suffered a tendon injury in his right foot, which caused him to miss a month of the regular season and also made him physically unable to enter the playoffs. The injury pushed the Ohio native to his emotional and physical limits, so much so that he considered retiring and not returning for his 21st season in the league.
The Lakers don’t want this to happen again, which is why they prefer to reduce wear and tear during games, as the NBA’s anti-load management rules mean teams can’t rest stars without a medical reason.
Even so, we’ll see some nights throughout the season when Los Angeles would rather pay a fine to the league than deny the four-time MVP his ideal rest. This time the Lakers have a clear plan that they will follow until the hypothetical playoffs.