When the Los Angeles Lakers opened the 2023-24 season in Denver, they tried out keeping LeBron James on a minutes restriction as he began his 21st NBA season at 38 years old. The idea was to limit some of the wear and tear he’d deal with over the course of the season, as Darvin Ham and Rob Pelinka highlighted the depth they’d created on the roster that they felt would allow them to buy more time for James to rest.
In that opener, the Nuggets beat the Lakers 119-107, with James playing just 29 minutes and the Lakers being a +7 with him on the court and a -19 in the 11 minutes without him. By Game 2, James played 35 minutes in a win over the Suns and then 39 minutes in an OT loss to the Kings in their third game of the season, indicating the minutes restriction experiment had died after one game. The reason why? Well, for one it was clear the Lakers weren’t going to perform very well with James limited. Then there was the issue of LeBron absolutely hating it, making his frustrations known on the bench during that loss to Denver. On Netflix’s new “Starting 5” series, they show James telling the Lakers staff, “I hate this sh*t already. This sh*t’s garbage.” (Watch clip here.)
James would elaborate further in a confessional, explaining that while he understands why the team thinks that might be the right decision, he knows his body better than anyone and what he can handle.
“The minutes restriction, it’s something I don’t agree with. I’ve never agreed with it,” LeBron says. “I prepare my body physically and mentally prepare my mind for battle. I’ve had conversations and talks and battles with my coaches, and I get it. But I also understand me, and I get me. And there’s nobody that gets me more than me.”
It’s pretty clear James was right, as he played 71 games a year ago, averaging 35.3 minutes per while posting All-NBA caliber numbers to lead the Lakers to the postseason. As he gets set to begin his 22nd NBA season with a new head coach in L.A., it seems safe to assume JJ Redick will not be trying out any minutes restrictions on LeBron.