LeBron James’ heavy workload for the Los Angeles Lakers this season may be starting to catch up to him.
The Lakers announced that the former MVP James would sit out Thursday’s key matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers due to left knee soreness. James reacted to the news by tweeting out several cursing and facepalm emojis.
NBA writer Marc Stein notes that James is averaging 36.6 minutes per game this season. That is up more than three minutes per game from last season and is James’ heaviest workload since his Cleveland Cavaliers days.
With James now 37 years old, the Lakers had hoped to limit his minutes this year, which was also a part of the rationale in trading for Russell Westbrook. But the team’s struggles as well as the injuries to Anthony Davis and others have forced James into almost Herculean minutes.
The knee injury is now at least the second ailment James has dealt with this season. He missed multiple weeks in November due to an abdominal strain and was still listed on the injury report with the abdominal issue as recently as this month. Now James is set to miss some more time, which is just the latest issue plaguing the 24-24 Lakers right now.
More must-reads: