This has been an interesting year so far for LeBron James as the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar has, at times, looked unbelievable with some of his performances, notching multiple triple-doubles. However, at other times he has looked tired and worn down with his effort not being what it needs to be.
LeBron’s goal was to play in every game for the Lakers, but he recently missed his first game of the year, sitting out the team’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers with left foot soreness. Head coach JJ Redick has implemented a different offensive system that takes some of the load off LeBron, but his minutes have remained basically the same and NBA Hall of Famer Vince Carter believes that is a problem.
Carter appeared on Run It Back on Fanduel TV, saying the Lakers should scale back his minutes in order for LeBron to be at his best down the stretch of the season because his body will wear down regardless of what his mind tells him he’s capable of:
“It’s too many minutes, he was playing too many darn minutes. I actually was covering that game and he was playing 35-something minutes. And I’m all for him playing every game, that’s not the thing. But playing 35 minutes, I just felt like it was a lot. And it’s natural, I can tell you. It wears on you regardless of what your mind, your body is talking to you saying ok we need to slow back. Obviously you take practice time off, we know he doesn’t like to miss practice and he wants to play in games and he’s playing to win, I get it. But maybe not 35 minutes. Maybe you preserve him in the first half and you play your bigger minutes in the second half when he gets better. I just feel like you have to find time to dial him back. Because do you need LeBron James more in the beginning of the season when AD is playing like this? Or do you need him from the middle to the backend of the year? I think you need him in the backend.”
Carter makes a lot of sense as it just impossible for anyone, even James, to be able to maintain that level of performance on a nightly basis, regardless of how much he puts into his body to keep it at peak condition. The issue for the Lakers is that they need LeBron to have these performances and even when he and Anthony Davis have played at a high level together, it hasn’t always been enough to win.
Scaling back LeBron’s minutes and workload is ideal, but the Lakers’ roster isn’t built to allow for that and still win, even more so with the injuries the team has dealt with, particularly to Austin Reaves.
LeBron James unlikely to play against Timberwolves
It appears the Lakers are on the same page as Vince Carter though as reports indicate LeBron James is unlikely to play in Friday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With a bit of a break in the Lakers’ schedule due to the NBA Cup, James may be able to get 10 days or even two weeks of rest, allowing him to get a much-needed reset.
