The Los Angeles Lakers plan to limit the minutes of LeBron James over their final 17 games this season, according to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
The team reportedly made the decision after recently meeting with James’ personal trainer. The Lakers, 30-35, are currently the 11th seed in the Western Conference and 6.5 games behind the 8th seed LA Clippers.
In addition to reduced minutes, the Lakers reportedly could rest James for any remaining back-to-back game situations. According to Haynes, this decision is seen as a “cool down” for James rather than a “shutdown”.
After eight straight trips to the NBA Finals, the 34-year-old has played by far the most minutes of any player in the NBA since 2010. James missed a career-high 17 straight games with a strained left groin earlier this season. Since the injury, the Lakers have posted a record of 10-21.
The four-time NBA MVP is averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists over 47 games during his first season with the Lakers.
James passed Michael Jordan for 4th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on Wednesday night.
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