Report: Lakers to keep LeBron on minutes limit for rest of season
With a postseason berth looking less and less likely, the Los Angeles Lakers are apparently ready to scale back LeBron James' workload.
The Lakers will put James on a minutes restriction of 28-32 minutes per game, and possibly keep him out of one end of back-to-backs for the remainder of the season, sources told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. Haynes added that both James and his agent, Rich Paul, were consulted on the matter.
The Lakers have 17 games left in the regular season, including three back-to-backs. Going into Thursday, L.A. is 6 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
James is averaging 35.6 minutes per game in 2018-19, lower than the past two seasons but identical to his workload in 2015-16. The 34-year-old's usage rate is currently 30.7, the fifth lowest of his career.
Less LeBron may be the final nail in the coffin for the Lakers' playoff hopes. L.A.'s net rating is 5.6 points per 100 possessions worse with James off the floor. James hasn't missed the postseason since 2004-05, his second season in the NBA.