The Los Angeles Lakers will put superstar small forward LeBron James on a minutes restriction moving forward and most likely start sitting him out on the second night of back-to-backs, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The Lakers are six-and-a-half games back of the San Antonio Spurs for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

LeBron James suffered the worst injury of his career this season on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors. The left groin ailment cost James 17 games and the Lakers' season.

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James, a four-time MVP, is averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game in his first season in Los Angeles. The King is shooting 51.2 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from beyond the arc and 66.2 percent from the free-throw line.

LeBron is 34-years-old. He's been to eight-straight NBA Finals. Cutting his minutes down is the smart thing to do. The Lakers aren't going to the playoffs this season and might as well start thinking about next season.

A case could be made that Los Angeles missing the postseason is actually a good thing for LeBron James. The star will have the first summer in a long time to rest and regroup for next season.