The first week of the NBA season is in the books. All of the action should be exciting fantasy managers from sea to shining sea! There were big debuts from rookies and veteran players in new places. Certainly, there was much to keep up with fantasy wise as the week unfolded. However, there was one particularly concerning piece of news regarding Lebron James: he will face a minutes restriction during the 2023-2024 NBA season. One game later, the restriction was out the window. What do fantasy managers make of it all? This LeBron James limited minutes edition looks at what is the deal with LeBron and should what should those that have him on their fantasy rosters expect going forward.
First: What Was Said and By Whom?
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Without question, only a short amount of research reveals all kinds of information on the subject of LeBron James and limiting his minutes this year. The Orange County Register, The Athletic and HoopsHype, among many others, have reported on the story. In the first game on Tuesday against Denver, James played a total of 29 minutes. Of course, if that total was maintained throughout the season, it would be James' lowest of his NBA career, by far.
After the game, Head Coach Darvin Ham, was asked if the total of minutes James played against the Nuggets is what he could expect this season. His response? "We'll see. In all likelihood, yes." That's not exactly diffenative is it? When James himself was asked, he essentially confirmed the policy by saying, "I guess there's a system in place and I'm going to follow it," James went on to say that he was onboard with the plan. However, in the past, James has pushed back against any minutes restriction on his playing time.
Second: What do the actual games say about the policy?
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Since that first game, the Lakers have played three contests. Against Phoenix, James played 35 minutes, scoring 21 points and added eight rebounds and nine assists. In the second game against Sacramento, which went into overtime, James played 39 minutes with 27 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. Lastly, against Orlando, he played 32:47, and he put up season low totals of 19 points, three rebounds and four assists. He also added three steals.
The game against the Suns was significant. Even with the Lakers down 12 entering the fourth, Ham kept James on the floor for the entirety of the final quarter. He scored 10 points in the fourth, leading the comeback as the Lakers defeated Phoenix 100-95.
Conclusion
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Simply stated, it is easy to come to a conclusion on this LeBron James limited minutes edition regarding this situation. Adding it all up, James has averaged just over 35 minutes a game since the policy was made public. No question, the Lakers would really prefer that James not play the heavy minutes that he has in the past. Ideally, if that was the case throughout the season, James would be fresher down the stretch. Along those same lines, James would appear in more games playing fewer minutes.
Equally true, though, is that everyone involved with the team wants to win games. Whether or not the Lakers are in position to win entering the fourth quarter will dictate if James will play fewer minutes or not. If they are in the game, which figures to be much of the time, he will play to the final horn. If they are not, as was the case against Denver the first game, he will find himself sitting down the stretch.
In the final analysis, fantasy managers can relax. James will be on the floor over 35 minutes in most games. He will continue to post the fantasy numbers that managers are looking for the majority of the time. On those occasions when the Lakers are well behind in the fourth, James will see his minutes curtailed. As that is the case, expect James to play more games than he has in recent seasons. In four of five years since 2017-2018, James hasn't played in more than 56 games. Expect that total to be more around 67 to 70 this season.
The Final Word
Thank you for joining me for this LeBron James limited minutes edition! As always, I welcome suggestions, comments and input from all my readers. Let's discuss!
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