The Cleveland Cavaliers have been clicking on all cylinders during their five-game win streak thanks to the dominant play of superstar LeBron James. Although the Cavs have been playing solid basketball as of late, there has been a concern over the abundance of minutes James has logged in during that period.
His extensive time on the court was recently brought to light by Golden State Warriors superstar Draymond Green. However, head coach Tyronn Lue dismissed those concerns by comparing James’ minutes to that of some of the NBA’s greats late in their careers, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I hear about that all the time,” Lue said. “I played with Michael Jordan when he was 39, he played 37 minutes a night. Karl Malone was 37, played 38 minutes a night, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe [Bryant]. Everybody’s built different. If you’re one of the greats, sometimes you’ve got to play, sometimes you get rest like tonight.”
Although LeBron James had originally agreed with Green’s comments, he has now downplayed the whole situation.
“You make so much a big thing about my minutes,” James said. “It’s not a huge issue. But at the end of the day, when we can get a win like this, everybody benefits from it. Not just me. Everybody.”
It is fair to be concerned about the three-time champ’s recent uptick in playing time. James is about to turn 33 and he currently leads the NBA in minutes per game (37.9). However, with the Cavs’ roster still riddled with key injuries, they really have no choice but to use James as often as possible.
Fortunately, they were able to give him a rest during last night’s 116-88 blowout win over a surprisingly-formidable Detroit Pistons team. That said, they may have to rely on more games like these to give “The King” a rest in the meantime while this teammates recover.