LeBron’s Heavy Workload Despite Injuries to Lakers’ Stars

DALLAS — The Los Angeles Lakers are carefully monitoring LeBron James’ workload as he approaches the end of his remarkable 23rd NBA season.

This concern remains, even though the Lakers are set to play without star guards Luka Doncic (sidelined with a Grade 2 left hamstring injury) and Austin Reaves (dealing with a Grade 2 left oblique injury).

“The responsibility of creating all the offense doesn’t solely rest on LeBron,” coach JJ Reddick mentioned ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.

James’ performance in the Lakers’ first game since the injuries were confirmed doesn’t completely encapsulate the team’s offensive strategies. Though he scored 30 points—his sixth time reaching that mark this season—it was only the second time since mid-January that he had a scoring outing like this, averaging 19.5 points over the last 35 games and 18.5 points during March. This is notable, as it marks his lowest scoring average in a month with at least ten games since November 2003.

Aside from his points, he also dished out a season-high 15 assists, and played for 38 minutes and 43 seconds, just shy of tying the mark for the second-longest playing time of the season.

During the game against the Mavericks, it was clear he had more offensive responsibility. The number of shots he took—22—was indicative of this; it was his second-most attempts in a game this season. “We aimed to limit his involvement in every single play while he is on the court,” Reddick said about managing James’s workload. “This way, he could focus on making good outlet passes and running half-court sets for us.”

Almost everyone on the Lakers roster stepped up offensively during the game. Luke Kennard, typically a combo guard, took on the role of point guard and managed the first triple-double of his NBA career with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists.

“That’s something I’ve never really done before,” Kennard expressed. “I haven’t had this kind of role this season, being that involved.” Kennard also leads the league in 3-point shooting percentage at 48.7 percent.

Although Kennard approached his career-high in minutes played, Reddick felt that exceeding 41 minutes would be “too much” for him, explaining that the increased playing time may have contributed to Kennard’s less than typical shooting performance.

James had more freedom as a ball-handler during this game than for much of the season. With Doncic, Reaves, and Marcus Smart (who missed seven consecutive games due to injury) unavailable, the Lakers had to rely on other players for ball movement, including Jake LaRabia and Rui Hachimura, among others.

The Lakers’ “all hands on deck” approach was visible, as they had a balanced scoring attack, with six players scoring 13 or more points. They also accumulated 36 assists on 47 field goals, marking their second-best performance in that area this season.

“We maintained a fast pace on offense and kept moving,” Jackson Hayes noted, adding that stagnation often hinders performance. “As long as we don’t let the offense stagnate, we’ll be successful.” This approach seems essential for the Lakers moving forward.

While it’s clear that James still possesses immense capabilities, he acknowledged the challenges ahead for the team: “I know what I’m still capable of, and it’s going to be tough for our squad. But if I’m in the lineup, we need to create opportunities in various ways.”

It’s reasonable to expect he’ll continue to build on what’s already working for the Lakers rather than trying to drastically change his game.