Lakers News: LeBron James Responds To Darvin Ham’s Restrictive Minutes Allotment
The NBA is back! ... and the Lakers have lost.
Despite pulling within three points in the fourth quarter, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were too much for the Lakers to overcome in the opening game of the season.
The game started with a bang, with D'Angelo Russell, who the Lakers re-signed after the season, dishing it to Anthony Davis, whose dunk scored the first two points of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Then, Jokic's 10 first-quarter points and the Nuggets' hot shooting led Denver to hold a lead from the middle of the first quarter until the buzzer sounded.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists on 29 minutes of play. Anthony Davis had 17 points but didn't score in the second half.
James is the oldest player in the league now, despite remaining a dominant presence on the court. As a 38-year-old on a championship-contending team, James played fewer minutes than fans might expect. According to James, he went into the game knowing that he would play under 30 minutes.
Regardless, the competitor in James has trouble staying on the bench, especially when his team is down.
"You always want to be on the floor," James said. "I guess there's a system in place and I'm going to follow it."
(Via @jovanbuha)
James emphasized that he was not surprised or upset about his shortened time on the court.
Forwards Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood and Cam Reddish all saw at least 15 minutes off of the bench and will be significant factors in the Lakers' success if James continues to limit his minutes in the regular season.
The playoffs are a long, long way away and James is critical to the team's chances of a title run. If sitting out for longer than usual helps the Lakers' odds at making the playoffs in a favorable spot, there's no reason why LA shouldn't sit their star.
