On Wednesday night, LeBron James had his best performance in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. He did everything for the Lakers to help them cruise to a comfortable victory over Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. James poured in 44 points while adding 10 rebounds and nine assists. He was engaged defensively and came up with three blocks as well.
One day after his standout performance, Lakers head coach Luke Walton held James out of practice in order to keep him fresh, according to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet. Walton said that James felt great, but he sat out practice nonetheless.
It's impossible to criticize James for sitting out of practice or Walton for holding him out of practice. James is still a dominant force, but he's on the cusp of his 34th birthday. He played in every single game for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season (regular season and playoffs). There's no need for the Lakers to push him that hard this year.
He played 36 minutes on Wednesday. That's right around his normal average from the last few years. James can handle the heavy workload, but there's no need to push it in November. There's a long season ahead, so missing one practice right now is not the end of the world.
As we all saw on Wednesday night, LeBron James is still an absolute beast when he's playing well. The Lakers would be wise to make sure he is healthy and rested as the season goes on.
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