Since his introductory press conference, Darvin Ham has oft-stated that his top priority as Los Angeles Lakers head coach is to healthily manage LeBron James' workload.

“We’re really, really player-health conscious,” Ham said in June. “That will be my No. 1 goal: to try to lessen some of the wear and tear on LeBron because I feel like the level he’s playing at is not going anywhere anytime soon. So I just want to try to assist him with being able to sustain that level.”

Yet, due to Anthony Davis' prolonged foot injury and the Lakers' tenuous spot in the standings (20-25, 13th in the West), LeBron hasn't been afforded that luxury. Following another frustrating crunch-time loss at home on Wednesday — 116-111, to the Sacramento Kings — Ham expressed real “concern” over the 38-year-old's minutes a few games past the season's halfway mark.

“I feel bad about that,” Ham said regarding LeBron's burden. “He's playing at an amazing level, but we can't run him into the ground. That was one of my main goals coming into the season.”

LeBron had 32/9/8 in 37 minutes vs. the Kings. No other Lakers starter hit double figures.

“We just have to manage him and have clarity in terms of scaling back his minutes.”

Ham signaled the Lakers may strategically limit LeBron's participation in non-gameday activities.

Since turning 38 on Dec. 30, LeBron has averaged 38 minutes and 25 field goal attempts per game.  He's averaging 36.2 minutes per game in his 20th season — just one minute shy of his less-than-ideal average from 2021-22, in which even his 30.3 PPG couldn't keep the Lakers in the hunt.

The fact that LeBron played the second leg of a back-to-back on Monday against the lowly Houston Rockets — despite being listed as questionable with ankle soreness, as he was again on Wednesday — indicates the dire straits the Lakers find themselves in, as Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV, and Austin Reaves nurse injuries. LeBron lit up the Rockets for a season-high 48 points, but he admitted that he felt sore all day and was legitimately surprised that his body was ready to roll by tip-off.

Reinforcements should be on the way. Before the Kings clash, Ham shared that Davis, Reaves, and Walker remain on track in their recovery. Walker and Reaves will be reevaluated in the next day or two, while Davis is back on the court conducting extensive shooting.

However, Ham emphasized the importance of caution when it comes to the star center.

“You have to be smart about it. There’s times you have to save the player from themselves … And as impatient as AD is — and it’s rightfully so because of the way he plays and the way he wanted to attack the season even before the season started, it’s understandable that he has that mindset — but all the while we have to be careful because we don’t want a recurring thing in terms of him being in and out, in and out.”

That all sounds good and dandy. But, as we've seen with LeBron, the Lakers are going to have to squeeze out a few more wins in order to afford AD that luxury.