LeBron James is coming off one of his most demanding seasons in a long time. The Lakers star spent his final year on the Cavaliers playing all 82 games and every single playoff game without reducing his workload. At 33, it seems unfathomable that a player who’s been around as long as he has — and played as much as he has — would voluntarily put that kind of workload on his legs, except that’s what he did and wants to do again in Los Angeles.
James has been telling Luke Walton and the Lakers coaching staff that his legs are fine and he can play a full season of minutes if that’s what they need. The Lakers coaching staff, however, isn’t buying it. They want James to be as rested as possible all season long, and that might mean playing a little less than he was used to in Cleveland.
“I’m always fresh,” James told reporters, per ESPN. “All my coaches want to figure out a way of how to lessen my minutes. I keep telling them I’m strong enough to play most minutes, but they won’t listen to me, so, it’s OK. I like it.”
James made it a personal mission last season to play all 82 games, although to be fair, he needed to play all 82 to keep that Cavs team afloat. This Lakers team, theoretically, should be better off. They have more young players that can play heavier workloads, as well as veterans that can take minutes from him on rest days as well. The problem will, inevitably, be when Los Angeles struggles.
The Lakers are relying heavily on the growth of young players as well as a group of veterans that have been affectionately nicknamed “MUD” by James. This team very well could go through a rough patch, and that’s when James’ minutes will be tested. Is he going to force the coaching staff to play him 40+ minutes a game to gut out a win, or is he willing to let the Lakers work through that rough patch while he plays 30-32 minutes in a loss? This is going to be a new experience for everybody involved, something that may apply to James more than anyone else.
