Lakers Cannot Risk Overworking LeBron James at Any Point in the Regular Season

LeBron James had been the definition of reliable throughout his NBA career, playing an average of 76 games-per-season and an average of 38.5 minutes during those games. However, as James gets older, the Lakers can not risk him losing a step or two due to fatigue and injuries sustained from the long season, as they plan to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.

LeBron is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets due to a muscle strain in the ribs and a persistent groin issue. The Lakers noted that while he will probably not play, this is not due to load management.

Last week, LeBron was very vocal about his disdain for load management, as he believes that since he doesn't know how much longer he has left, if he is able to play then he will play. At the same time, James wants to be able to put on a show for all the fans who came specifically to watch him play.

Even though he is still putting up monstrous numbers (25.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG and a league-leading 10.6 APG), if the Lakers want a dominant LeBron leading the squad to their first championship since 2010, they need to rest the aging superstar as much as possible.