Reality has begun to set in for the Los Angeles Lakers and coach Luke Walton.
The 2018-19 season hasn’t gone to plan for the franchise after signing LeBron James to one of the most consequential free agent contracts in the history of basketball.
The Lakers are currently 30-35 and in 11th place in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.
With only 17 games left in the regular season, they are 6.5 games behind the cross-town rival Clippers for the 8th spot in the Wesr.
For these reasons, the Lakers and Walton have decided to cut back on LeBron’s minutes for the rest of the season in an attempt to keep him healthy in future seasons.
James has averaged 35.6 minutes per game this season. Despite the Lakers’ woes, he has turned in a typically excellent season, averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game.
The superstar turned 34 years old in December,
The Lakers say that LeBron probably won’t play in back-to-back game nights during the rest of the season, which should afford him rest and the opportunity to recover.
The next step will be regrouping and figuring out how to lead the Lakers to the playoffs next season.
