Uncategorized

LeBron James, Lakers rethinking 82-game goal: ‘Don’t know that’s in the best interest of him and us’

James, who is just weeks away from his 40th š›š¢š«š­š”day, has not missed a game yet this season

WhenĀ LeBron JamesĀ set a goalĀ of playing in all 82 games for theĀ Los Angeles LakersĀ this season, the odds were immediately stacked against him. In 21 fullĀ NBAĀ seasons, he’s only played in 82 games once, during the 2017-18 season, when he was still relatively close to the peak of his powers. He’s no longer there. Lately,Ā LeBron hasn’t felt close.

While James has not yet missed a game for the Lakers this season, his performance is starting to decline meaningfully. He’s missed all 19 of his 3-point attempts across his last four games. His shooting percentages near the basket are starting to dip. His defense has been inconsistent at best. For perhaps the first time in his career, James is starting to look old. That makes sense considering his 40th š›š¢š«š­š”day is later this month, but it’s forcing key Lakers figures to rethink that 82-game goal.

“I don’t know that’s in the best interest of him and us if he does that, but if he’s feeling well and feeling good, then he should play,” head coachĀ JJ RedickĀ saidĀ after Tuesday’s loss to theĀ Minnesota TimberwolvesĀ in which James scored only 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting. James called 82 games “a goal,” but not one that he would discuss at this point.

Fortunately, the Lakers have a bit of time before they have to make any tough decisions about James’ status. After playing two back-to-backs in the past week, the Lakers don’t have another one scheduled until the beginning of January. That gives James time to figure things out on a more normal schedule before the Lakers have to start seriously thinking about load-management options.

Notably, the NBA’s player participation policy includes an exception for players who are 35 or older on opening night. James certainly qualifies, so the Lakers are free to rest him as needed. The danger in doing so, frankly, is that the Lakers just don’t have a strong enough roster to consistently win without him. Right now, they are dealing with a rash of injuries to their supporting players.Ā Jarred VanderbiltĀ andĀ Christian WoodĀ have not played yet this season, andĀ Austin ReavesĀ has missed the team’s last two games.

At 12-9, the Lakers are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference. They are only one game out of the No. 4 seed, but only one game ahead of No. 11 Minnesota. As was the case a year ago, a few games in either direction could mean the difference between making and missing the playoffs.

The Lakers are going to need the best James has to offer if they plan to get there. Thus far, that has meant playing him as much as possible. Perhaps with time the team will adjust and try to get better play across fewer games and minutes.

Related Posts

Womanā€™s home sold by HOA over a single late payment ā€“ she ā€˜never got letters about issueā€™ but was thrown out on street

A WOMAN is warning other homeowners after her house was sold by her HOA over a late payment. Taylor Sanders admitted she knew she missed a payment to…

Homeless mother of 6 defies odds to graduate US university, becomes the first graduate in her family

A determined woman, LaKendra Mackey, has overcome immense challenges to graduate from the University of Arkansas, making history as the first in her family to earn a degree….

Tiger Woods suffers another blow at the Players Championship… despite not even being at TPC Sawgrass

And so the dye is cast: there will be no Sun Day Red at Sawgrass this weekend. NoĀ Tiger WoodsĀ and no Karl Vilips, the little-known Australian carrying the flag…

Rory McIlroy faces nail-biting Players Championship playoff with JJ Spaun after dramatic climax at TPC Sawgrass

IfĀ Rory McIlroyĀ is to claim his biggest win in six years, he will need to prevail in a Monday play-off against a journeyman whose resilience would put most boulders…

š™’š˜¼š™š™‰š™„š™‰š™‚

Acaba de llegar una pelĆ­cula antolĆ³gica de ciencia ficciĆ³n para la era moderna, y no, no es un spin-off de Black Mirror de Netflix. Warning fusiona varios hilos…

š—Ÿš—¶š—¹š—¼ & š—¦š˜š—¶š˜š—°š—µ

Actualizado, 12 de marzo: Se acerca la pelĆ­cula de acciĆ³n real de Disney, Lilo & Stitch, con el caos generado por la criatura azul y la joven hawaiana,…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *