In the modern NBA, load management is a common practice and the Lakers have been one of many teams to incorporate it into their regular routine. This weekend, however, even with an upcoming back-to-back against the Timberwolves and Pelicans, Darvin Ham confirmed that he expects everyone to play with their season on the line.
“Those guys are highly competitive and it’s two teams that’s gonna be right in the mix,” said Ham on Friday via Jovan Buha. “So I expect those guys to have themselves ready and available. I don’t know if a minute restriction applies or a minute zone applies when you’re dealing with this high-level basketball to finish the calendar year.”
At almost 39 years old, LeBron James is one of the few players who should be kept from back-to-backs, but the Lakers rely on him too much to get wins this season. As for Anthony Davis, we all know his extensive injury history and the Lakers better hope that he stays healthy this weekend or it could jeopardize their chances of success in the New Year. But at just 17-15 this season, the Lakers need every win they can get and Darvin Ham needs both of his stars in uniform to avoid losing ground in the standings this week.
LeBron James Is On A Historic Tear
Tomorrow marks LeBron’s 39th birthday, but you’d never be able to tell based on his performance this season. With averages of 25.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game on 53.9% shooting, James has been the best player on the Lakers by a mile and he’s the only thing keeping them afloat right now. We’ve never seen this type of play from a player LeBron’s age before, and it’s given the Lakers a real chance to make some noise in the West before the end of his career.
But with James playing so many minutes (up to 34 per game this season), his workload has reached a dangerous level and one has to wonder how much longer he can go on like this. The best course of action for the Lakers might be to take it easy with James and save his best for April, May, and June but if they want to secure a top-six seed this year, they’ll need LeBron in as many games as possible.
Will Lakers Go 2-0 This Weekend?
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Lake Show and this next slate of games may be their toughest challenge yet. On Saturday, LeBron’s birthday, the Lakers will square off for a match against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently at the top of the West at 23-7. The Lakers already lost their first game against this team, and it won’t be any easier this time on Minnesota’s home court, where they’ve only lost a single game all season. But if LeBron and Davis catch fire early and are able to get the others involved, they could pull off an upset.
On Sunday, the Lakers will end the year with a game against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels are a flawed team on both ends, but at 18-14 on the season they cannot be underestimated by anyone. They have the depth, size, and talent to go toe-to-toe against the best and the Lakers will need everything to go their way to pull out a win. For better or worse, these next two games will set the tone for the Lakers going into the New Year and Darvin Ham knows more than anyone how important it is to pick up momentum after a rough stretch of play.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
