Lakers News: LeBron James Talks Load Management, LA's Small-Ball Lineups

It goes without saying that LeBron James is far from ordinary in terms of the miraculous shape he keeps himself in and his ability, at age 36, to play heavy minutes on a nightly basis.

But in an era of load management and making sure stars get proper rest, James is truly an anomaly.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said Sunday after the team's win over the Memphis Grizzlies he wanted to give James a breather, per Bill Oram of The Athletic. But LeBron had other ideas. He scored 10 points while also chipping in five rebounds and four assists in the final quarter alone, leading the Lakers to a win.

"It's a fine line now with how much we push, how much rest and also stay in good rhythm," James said, via Oram. "Because myself and our team, we built so much great rhythm in the bubble that we want to try to continue that as much as we can."

It comes as little surprise a passionate and competitive leader like James wants to be on the floor, just as it is not shocking for Vogel to say the Lakers will manage James' workload one game at a time, per Oram. Still, it is impressive to see James run out there night after night and stake his claim as the best player in the game, especially considering the mileage on his body.

LeBron headed to training camp less than two months after winning his fourth NBA title. Given the quick turnaround, it might not have been a surprise to see James get a night off. Instead, he has played all nine games, including L.A.'s only back-to-back on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28.

James' minutes have been down but only slightly. He is playing a little over 32 minutes per game, a decrease from the 34.6 minutes he averaged last year.

However, LeBron's usage rate has actually seen a slight uptick to 32.2 percent, and he has been more efficient from the perimeter and free-throw line thus far.

The four-time league MVP had been listed as questionable heading into Thursday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs, but LeBron again gave it a go. He played 35 minutes, scoring 27 points to go with 12 assists and six rebounds, though the Lakers came up short.

Even in losing efforts, James is keeping the pedal to the gas.

James liked small-ball lineup   

Brandon Dill/Associated Press

One of the reasons LeBron had so much success in the fourth quarter of that aforementioned Grizzlies game could be Vogel's decision to go with a small-ball lineup in the final minutes.

Vogel ran out a lineup of James and Anthony Davis in the frontcourt in the last five minutes, with the duo flanked by Kyle Kuzma, Wesley Matthews and Dennis Schroder on the wings. The Lakers promptly went on a 13-4 run, which basically put the game to bed.

Although Vogel has said he hopes to mitigate the number of times he has to play Davis at center, he also acknowledged the small-ball look gives them "defensive mobility" and makes them tougher to guard, per Harrison Faigen of SB Nation. 

For his part, LeBron said there is always a timeliness to every rotation, and he felt Vogel played the right strings against Memphis.

"Whoever is out on the floor late in the game, there's a reason," James said, via Faigen. "We trust everyone that's out there, all five guys, so I think tonight's closing lineup of myself, AD, Wes, Dennis the Menace and Kuz, and we was able to close the game out and get some timely stops and timely buckets."

Of course, it is hard to consider that group a true small-ball lineup, in a traditional sense.

James is basically position-less, and might as well be a power forward in the modern game. Kuzma has good size (6'8") for a wing. Davis is practically a 7-footer, but he essentially has the skills of a guard. Then again, considering LeBron played the point for nearly all of last year, these rotations do have a different feel. 

In any case, Vogel and James feel the personnel L.A. has on the roster is amenable to a variety of different looks. That could make the Lakers tough to beat as they continue their title defense.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted.