Luke Walton wants to reach greater heights with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he knows that in order to do it, he needs to keep LeBron James as fresh as possible.
The Purple and Gold head coach emphasized that keeping James fresh and healthy is a priority for him, especially now that they are aspiring to challenge for the Larry O'Brien Trophy during LeBron's tenure with the team.
“We want to make sure we're not only playing at our best come the end of the season but that he's fresh,” Walton told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “And that's a goal for us. And it's a goal that we're on a journey and it's not a one-year journey. We're continuing to try to and be our best season by season, but also as each one goes on.
“And obviously he gives us the best opportunity to be at our best.”
Walton also said they are ready to play the long game with James, citing that they “got four years” in reference to James' four-year deal with the Lakers.
James is still widely considered as the best basketball player on the planet, but he's already 33 years old — set to turn 34 in December — so Walton and the Lakers understand that it is best to reduce the wear and tear on his body.
Besides, keeping the 14-time All-Star well-rested and fresh throughout the season and unleashing him come playoffs time appears to be the best route the team can take.
James played all 82 regular-season games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, the first time in his 15 seasons that he did so. He also led the league in minutes played in 2017-18, averaging 36.9 minutes a night.
Walton said they wouldn't do that to James, and he explained his plan to keep LeBron's playing time “at a reasonable number.”
“That will probably change with how we're playing as a team, where we're at for the season,” Walton explained. “We'll try to keep him at a reasonable number.”
“We want to play fast, and to do that we got to get guys in and out and in and out, so we'll get a good amount of guys out there.”
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