LeBron James is about to start his record 23rd NBA season, which means he certainly has an insane amount of wear and tear on his body. In recent seasons, load management has been a big topic of conversation regarding him, and to his credit, he has largely shot down any notion of sitting games out or playing fewer minutes as a concession to the mileage he has accumulated.
But it seems that mindset may be changing as the Los Angeles Lakers start training camp. James’ camp has reportedly told the team to be “overly cautious” with the superstar and play the long game, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
James has had some trouble staying healthy during his time with the Lakers. A groin injury limited him to 55 games during the 2018-19 season, and he has suffered a number of other ailments since.
He did play in 70 games last season and 71 games the season before that, but at age 40, there’s no telling how much more pounding and grinding his body can take. At the same time, if James is too cautious with exerting himself, it would be detrimental to a Lakers team that still needs to develop chemistry with Luka Doncic and has a couple of new integral players this season.
The four-time MVP reportedly sprained his MCL in Game 5 of the first round of last season’s playoffs when Los Angeles was eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He sat out Tuesday’s practice due to nerve irritation in his glute.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James’ camp wants Lakers to be ‘overly cautious’
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
