LeBron James is 32-years-old, and the Cleveland Cavaliers need to acknowledge he won’t last forever.
The Cleveland Cavaliers started the season 5-7. For LeBron James, that kind of start could be detrimental to his resting time this season. James is the NBA’s best player, and the Cavaliers struggle without him on the court.
LeBron James has averaged a -5.0 points per game while on the court, but while not on the court, the Cavaliers are a slightly worse team, losing -5.3 points without James. That’s not incredibly convincing, but just by watching one of their thirteen games, it is clear this team needs LeBron on the court to succeed. Overall, the Cavaliers have started off to a poor start, and the lack of quality playmaking on the Cavs has kept LeBron James on the court throughout the majority of the game.
James has played and started in all thirteen games this season. In those games, he has played less than 35 minutes just twice. In both the games James didn’t hit 35 minutes, the Cavaliers were already staring a loss in the face, ending up losing by over 20 plus in both games.
Along those lines, James has hit over 40 minutes in just under half of these games. In the entire 2016-2017 season, James only played 40+ minutes in nineteen games. Through the team’s first thirteen games this season, James is on pace to play over 46% of the Cavs’ games with those types of minutes. Although James has shown over and over again that he has the ability to take almost flawless care of his body, eventually, the volume minutes he has played throughout his career will catch up with him.
It’s hard to guess when father time may catch one of the NBA’s most durable players. James is already in the top 30 in total minutes in NBA history. If he keeps up his 38.0 minutes per game, he could easily pass Hakeem Olajuwon and secure his place in the top 20 in total minutes.
It might seem like James’ play should start to decline in the next seasons, but the 15-year veteran small forward played over 40 minutes in the first game of the season then followed it up with an intense cardio session. James’ dedication to the game is obvious, and he could easily play into his 40’s.
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As the season progresses, it might be wise for the Cavaliers to limit James’ minutes down to 36 or fewer minutes per game. The wear-and-tear will eventually break James down, and it is up to the Cavs to keep their superstar at his peak for as long as possible.
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