Lebron James played only 29 minutes in the Lakers’ season opener against the Denver Nuggets.
And that may be the new norm for the league’s oldest player.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said James’ time on the court may continue to dwindle following their 119-107 loss.
“We’ll see,” Ham said. “In all likelihood, yes.”
Keeping James healthy is the No. 1 priority for Ham and the Lakers.
“It’s easy with him to get caught up in the emotion of the game and you tend to forget you want to play these long stretches, but in order for him to be as effective as possible we have to be mindful of the minute output and how long his stretches are,” Ham said.
James has averaged 38.1 minutes per game throughout his career.
“I guess there’s a system in place and I’m going to follow it,” James said, according to The Athletic.
James played less than 29 minutes only once in 55 regular-season games last season.
That one game happened in February against the Warriors when he was listed as day-to-day on the injury report due to a hand injury. He finished with 26 minutes that night.
“You always want to be on the floor,” James said after Tuesday’s game. “Especially when you have the opportunity to win a game or you feel like you can make an impact. I think for me and my performance individually in a time when I was out there, I think I was productive.”
James has proven time and time again that not much can keep him from the court.
“And if I’m hurt or if I’m not feeling well, then we can look at it then,” James told reporters in 2021. “But I have nothing but honest people [advising me], but I’m also honest with myself, as well, and me having a love for the game and me being able to be available to my teammates is more important than anything.”
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