Entering the 2022-23 season, LeBron James has only missed the postseason four times in his career. Simply put, James' teams are almost always expected to make the postseason. After all, James has shown an elite ability to lead his teams in heliocentric fashion, most notably during 2007 and 2018, when he carried the Cleveland Cavaliers on his back all the way to brutal NBA Finals sweeps.
However, LeBron James is now 38. Asking him to do what he did in his prime may be a tad too much. But that may be what Darvin Ham and the Los Angeles Lakers need to climb out of their rut. And it seems like Ham may just do whatever it takes, including playing The King an inordinate amount of minutes, just to give the Lakers the best shot at a win.
“I just want to ride him,” Ham said following the Lakers' 121-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “And he allows you to do that because he takes such great care of himself. So, it's a great luxury to have.”
That may not be a luxury that Darvin Ham and the Lakers could afford for long. LeBron James has played the second-most minutes out of anyone in the history of the league, and barring any unforeseen injuries, he is on pace to shatter the record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
As a matter of fact, James' minutes have been trending down from the 2018-19 to the 2020-21 season. He's only playing so many minutes yet again to compensate for the Lakers' inexcusable lack of depth, as well as Anthony Davis' untimely injury. Nevertheless, if his past few games are any indication, then LeBron James remains up to the challenge of inexplicably defying Father Time.
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