LeBron James is about to embark himself on an almost unprecedented 21st season in the NBA. The Lakers, on the other hand, are planning to help extend his ambition by adding talent around him that can carry the responsibility of leading the team so that he can potentially reach the next playoffs in good health.
“Bron, he does a great job taking care of himself,” coach Darvin Ham said this past Thursday ahead of next week’s training camp. “The team that’s around him now, the pieces that we have in place, those guys are going to step up and do a lot of heavy lifting early.”
The Los Angeles superstar is about to turn 39-years-old this December, but has been putting up numbers that no other basketball player has done before at his age. Last season he averaged 28.9 points on 50% shooting, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists during 35.5 minutes per game.
LeBron’s work ethic in Year 21 is insane! 😤🔥#LeBronJames #KingJames #GOAT #NBA #LALakers #Basketball pic.twitter.com/PkpNAvlMLh
— King Nation – LeBron James Reign (@LebronReign) September 30, 2023
However, a torn tendon in his right foot caused him to miss 27 games, and almost missed out on the postseason. Even though his numbers are outstanding, his body is slowly caving to his age, as he’s been sidelined for 111 matches in total in the past 5 years. During his first 15 campaigns, he only missed out on 71 contests.
Rob Pelinka, who is both the Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager, addressed his star’s summer workouts to keep in shape for this upcoming competition which is less than a month away. Following their disappointing end to last season when they were swept by the Denver Nuggets, he admires LeBron’s will to keep pushing for more.
“It’s staggering for a player who has 20 years under the hood already and is preparing for 21 like he’s a rookie,” Pelinka shared. “He’s been doing 6 a.m. workouts. Probably been in our building as much as any player this offseason. Been in the weight room as much as any player. Any team LeBron’s played for, it’s been pretty uniform that his work sets the tone.
“There has been nothing but an increase in seeing that here. To me, it’s let’s be about it, let’s not talk about it. He’s definitely been about it this offseason.”
The coaching staff’s plan is to distribute the responsibilities around the roster to protect James’ health throughout regular season
Now that Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbuilt are secure for this season with new contract extensions, the Lakers have kept most of last campaign’s successful roster. Now that they’ve added Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish, they’ve signed a youthful contribution for a bright future.
“We have to partner with [James] to help him get all the way to the end [of the season healthy], because that’s his goal,” Pelinka said, aware that rookies Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis are also expected to have some playtime. “And so I think adding the depth we have, the versatility, the shooting, all those things are going to help us manage that.”
With the new resting policy, coach Ham believes that his team will be able to rotate enough to perform at the highest level during the 82 matches of regular season.
“He was grandfathered in by the rest rules,” coach Ham joked about how the regulations might help LeBron. “Big picture, month-to-month, different sections in the calendar.”
