LeBron James has managed to play in all but one game for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024-25 NBA season. While it's a commendable effort from the 39-year-old, it's not helping the team consistently win games.
On top of playing so many games, James is also averaging 35.0 minutes per game. Sure, this is a career low for the King, but since he is about to turn 40 years old soon, there is no shame in reducing his minutes.
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If anything, playing close to 30 minutes a night could allow James to keep fresh legs come playoff time. NBA insider Bobby Marks recently made the same suggestion to the Purple and Gold as a method to ensure James can extend his NBA career.
But at the same time, considering the Lakers' current roster, Marks quickly mentioned that it's impossible for the Lakers to 'sustain' if James plays 30 minutes per game.
"I think it gets to a point where maybe you have to sacrifice some games here when we look at it from the rest standpoint as far as resting LeBron James," Marks said. "I know people in that Lakers organization don’t want to hear that right now.
"If you’re gonna play him 30 minutes a night, I don’t think this team is good enough to sustain it. If you look at their roster, they have basically eight playable guys right now."
"I don't think this team is good enough to sustain it."@BobbyMarks42 on the Lakers decreasing LeBron's minutes each game. pic.twitter.com/IcLAKkZrg6
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 9, 2024
The veteran insider didn't hold back when calling out the Purple and Gold's failure to put together a better roster around LeBron James.
As of now, it's a pipedream for the Lakers to decrease James' minutes on the court. But the coaching staff may have to take that risk at some point in the season.
After all, the team proved that they can indeed win games even without the 39-year-old as the Lakers dominated the Portland Trail Blazers to snap their three-game losing streak.
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