So in Season 21, LeBron Show is a half-hour?
Five takeaways from the Lakers’ season-opening, 119107 loss in Denver on Tuesday:
LeBron James, the 30-minute man
The Lakers won the minutes they played James, the 21-year veteran racing down the court with the ball past younger defenders and through weaker ones who were keeping up. He scored 21 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists, the Lakers outscoring Denver by seven in his court time.
But that court time, it was slightly less than 30 minutes — only the third time in 21 openers he failed to play more than that.
“I always want to be on the floor. Especially when you got an opportunity to win a game or you feel like you can make an impact,” James said. “But this is the system in place and I’m going to follow it.”
James said he wasn’t surprised or upset by the plan.
Asked if the 30-minute cap would be a regular thing, coach Darvin Ham said “in all likelihood, yes.”
That would be one of the first team-sanctioned acknowledgments of James’ age. He’s 38 and injuries have abbreviated each of his last three seasons, with an uptick in the kind of soft-tissue problems you’d associate with a lifetime of playing the best basketball in the world from October to June.
Like in previous years, the opportunity to build that number exists, so the ceiling might be temporary.
“It’s going to be a day-byday process, gauging how he’s feeling, get communication from him, our training staff, our medical staff,” Ham said. “Yeah, again, we communicate, collaborate to land on a solid plan. And it’s easy with him to get caught up in the emotion of the game and you tend to forget you want to play these long stretches, but in order for him to be as effective as possible, we have to be mindful of the minute output and how long his stretches are.”
Lakers are big, but Denver is bigger
Beyond the shot-making and the togetherness, the single biggest advantage the Nuggets had against the Lakers was the same one they had against them last spring in the West finals.
When the starters were on the court, the Nuggets were way too big for the Lakers, starting with Nikola Jokic, who bullied his way to another triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. If he’s not the best player in the world, who is?
But it’s not just Jokic. Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are bigger and stronger than anyone the Lakers throw at them, save for James and Anthony Davis. Gordon was terrific on both ends (even if he got away with a goaltend), and Porter couldn’t buy a shot but still grabbed 12 rebounds.
Jamal Murray can get to his spots with a combination of quickness and strength. And add in another perfectly crafted role player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and you can see why Denver is the opening night favorite to win the title.
This team is loaded, and if the Lakers are serious about winning a championship, they’re going to need better answers for Denver.
Aggressive AD best, but only for one half
The Lakers couldn’t really get a favorable whistle early — not so much a comment on the officiating as much as it is on Denver’s aggressiveness from the tip, where it set the tone. But after the Lakers got two fouls on Jokic, Davis really went to work attacking in the paint.
He even knocked in an inrhythm three, the kind of shot the Lakers are counting on him to take and make all season.
But in the second half, Davis didn’t see the ball go in early and, like so many times, he sort of faded from the game. After missing five shots in the third quarter (including three from the same spot just off the right block), Davis took just one shot in the fourth — a three.
“They started double teaming. They were trying to crowd the paint. I missed some easy layups around the rim and little jumpers,” Davis said. “Just trying to make the right play, give it up to our guys. If I’m doubled, kick it out. Rui had an open three, Gabe had open threes. They just didn’t fall. But I got to shoot it more.”
New Laker Prince spreads the court
With Jarred Vanderbilt out because of heel soreness, any drama about the Lakers’ fifth starter dissipated. Taurean Prince filled the role, like he had been doing late in the preseason, and his debut was a good one.
Prince hit four threes, including a pair early in the game, to finish with 18 points, second most on the Lakers.
“When he’s on the floor, teams can’t really help off of him,” Davis said. “He’ll make the shots. So, that’s been good to have a guy like that who can give it to you on both ends of the floor. And he played really well tonight.”
For Prince, this isn’t anything new.
“My job hasn’t changed since I got into the NBA,” the 29-year-old veteran said. “It’s all about just finding the tendencies of the guys I’m playing with and getting to open spots where if they don’t have it, they can hit me.”
Other newcomers are a mixed bag
One of the pleasant surprises for the Lakers in the opener was Cam Reddish, whose size and defensive versatility mattered in his limited minutes off the bench. He, like James, finished with a plus-seven.
Christian Wood showed better offensive rhythm, going three for four, but Gabe Vincent, back from a back injury, struggled to get going offensively. Vincent shot three for eight from the field while missing all four of his threes. Jaxson Hayes was kind of invisible in his seven minutes.