Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James remains firm in not being big fan of load management

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James recently told the media that he plans to suit up every game if he is healthy.

By today’s standards, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is somewhat of an anomaly. James is continuing to perform at an extremely high level in what is his 17th year in the NBA.

Scattered throughout 27 appearances, James is averaging 26.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. The four-time MVP leads the league in the latter of the three categories.

While the assists total is certainly impressive, the number that truly stands out is 27. LeBron James has played in every game this season for Los Angeles.

As Christian Rivas of SB Nation said, James was listed as questionable prior to Sunday’s contest against the Hawks. James hurt his elbow during Friday’s game against the Heat.

The play that affected James occurred late in the game. James was guarding Jimmy Butler in the closing seconds and the two stars collided with one another. LeBron fell awkwardly onto the hardwood as a result and landed on his right elbow.

Despite the elbow soreness, the perennial All-Star still participated in Sunday’s game against the Hawks. James recorded 32 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists for the Lakers in what ended up being their 24th victory of the year.

The fact that James was able to shrug off any sort of elbow discomfort he might have had says a lot. In an age where teams tend to be extra cautious with their stars, James is defying the norm.

In a nutshell, LeBron does not like to sit out. James emphasized his posture on load management earlier this year, and he reiterated that after Sunday’s game. Per transcription from Rivas, James told Spectrum SportsNet the following on the subject.

"“If I’m healthy, I play … I mean, that should be the approach. Unless we’re getting late into the season, we’ve clinched and we can’t get any better — or any worse — I could benefit from that. But why wouldn’t I play if I’m healthy? It doesn’t make any sense to me, personally. I mean, I don’t know how many games I got left in my career. I don’t know how many kids that may show up to a game that are there to come see me play — and if I sit out, then what? That’s my obligation. My obligation is to play for my teammates and if I’m healthy, then I’m going to play. If coach sits me out, then I’m not healthy and it’s just simple.”"

James’ stance on load management may not align with what is becoming more popular nowadays. However, he does not seem to care and noted it “doesn’t make any sense” to bench himself if he is feeling fine.

Certainly, James is the antithesis to guys like the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has sat out multiple times so far for the sake of getting rest.

Granted Leonard is trying to ensure he is fully healthy for the postseason, James revealed some glaring issues with Kawhi’s approach. The former’s posture on things fails to address how fans feel when he opts to sit out.

A fan may only be able to attend one game during the course of the season, and, of course, when the biggest stars are playing, those games are in higher demand. That being said, if a star chooses to sit out at the last minute just in order to rest, it again begs the question: “how does that make the fans feel?”

The answer is quite obvious: not too great. On the one hand, it is not easy for every fan to pay to see their favorite players in action. Some may have to save up for a fair stretch of time to make buying tickets possible.

Moreover, youngsters in particular are going to be the most devastated. That seems to be what helps fuel James to this very day.

As Liz Roscher of Yahoo Sports revealed, James is of the caliber that “doesn’t want to let them down.”  It is difficult to not respect someone who has a mindset along those lines.

Without a doubt, it would have made sense if LBJ missed Sunday’s game against Atlanta. Justifiable cause was there. If he did so, it would have been the only time all year he sat out.

James fought through any residual effects he may have still been feeling from the Heat game, though. In doing so, he is setting a different kind of standard.

According to Erik Garcia Gundersen of LeBron Wire, LeBron is truly “redefin[ing]” the norm for players who have played as long as him. It showcases how dedicated he is to his craft.

As Roscher noted, James is coming off the most injury-riddled season of his professional career. Thus, it is not to say that occasional rest would not be beneficial for him. He is not getting any younger.

Be that as it may, The King wants to maximize his opportunities while he can. Many basketball fans look up to him, and not playing would not be a good look for someone who dons such a nickname.

Additionally, it is fair to bring up the following. In light of making it a goal to play every night, James is definitely following the Lakers’ way. Many stars that have represented L.A. before him carried that type of demeanor with them.

At the end of the day, too, James is indeed fulfilling a sense of “obligation.” It is literally his job to play the game, and, due to that factor, it is fair to expect that he will be out there every night barring a legitimate reason.

On account of that, he is setting a good example for a lot of people. In the real world, a boss would not probably like it if someone needed “rest” and consequently called in to have the day off.

Given that point, NBA players should be held to the same standard and thankfully guys like James are proof of how players should operate.