Lakers' LeBron James Won't Rest 2nd Half of Season: 'It's Go Time for Me'

LeBron James won't be taking it easy in the second half of the 2020-21 NBA regular season.

"It's go time for me," James told reporters Thursday, explaining how he isn't planning for any breaks the rest of the way.

Between his age, 36, and the quick turnaround time between the end of the 2020 NBA Finals and the start of this season, one would've expected James to be proactive in managing his minutes. Instead, his 34.6 minutes per game are equal to last year, and he has missed just one of the Lakers' 37 outings.

Beyond maintaining the usual plan he follows to build up to the postseason, the future Hall of Famer may have his eyes on a fifth MVP. He's averaging 25.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor.

In the absence of a runaway consensus, the 17-time All-Star is undoubtedly near the top of the conversation. FanDuel lists him as the second favorite (+260) behind Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid (+190).

With LeBron removing the hand brake, Los Angeles might also be able to close the 3.5-game gap between itself and the first-place Utah Jazz.

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