Before the start of Los Angeles’ training camp next week, Lakers coach Darvin Ham stated Thursday at a press conference, “Bron, he does a great job taking care of himself.” “Those guys will step up and do a lot of heavy lifting early on,” said the team that is now around him and the members of our assembled squad.

James, who will be 39 in December, played an average of 35.5 minutes per game in the previous season. While this was somewhat less than the 37.2 minutes he played in 2021–22, it was still more than he played in any of his three Lakers seasons. James was still a significant player statistically, averaging 28.9 points on 50% shooting, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, but he missed 27 games due to a ruptured tendon in his right foot.

James’ overall game hasn’t significantly declined since joining the Lakers, but there have been moments when his body has let him down. After missing only 71 games in his first 15 years in the league, he has missed 111 games in the previous five seasons due to injuries.

Rob Pelinka, general manager of the Lakers and vice president of basketball operations, commended James’ mental toughness and hard ethic throughout the summer after the team’s poor playoff performance, when the Denver Nuggets easily eliminated them from the Western Conference finals.

Pelinka said, “It’s astounding for a player who is training for his 21st birthday like he’s a rookie and has 20 years under his belt already.” He’s been working out at six in the morning. Likely spent more time in our building than any other athlete throughout the summer. More time spent in the weight room than any other player. LeBron’s effort has always set the tone for every club he has played for.

“The number of people seeing it here has only increased. Let’s just get it done and stop talking about it, in my opinion. This offseason, he has undoubtedly been focused on it.”

Most of the core from the previous season was retained by Pelinka, who signed contract extensions with Jarred Vanderbilt, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Anthony Davis. By adding 27-year-old guard Gabe Vincent, 29-year-old forward Taurean Prince, 28-year-old big man Christian Wood, 23-year-old center Jaxson Hayes, and 24-year-old swingman Cam Reddish, L.A. completed the remainder of its lineup with young, athletic players with shooting potential.

Two rookies were also signed by the Lakers: Maxwell Lewis, 21, of Pepperdine, and Jalen Hood-Schifino, 20, of Indiana.

James wants to finish the season healthy, so Pelinka said, “We have to work with him to help him get there.” “So I believe that by adding to our depth, versatility, and shooting, we will be able to manage that better.”

Based on James’s experience, Ham joked that the NBA’s new resting policy—which cracks down on healthy players leaving games to enjoy a night off—should not apply to him.

According to Ham, “He was grandfathered in by the rest rules.”

The Lakers’ second-year coach went on to say that he would search far ahead at the team’s 82-game schedule for chances for James to take it easy.

“Big picture, different sections in the calendar, month-to-month,” said Ham.

Pelinka and Ham agreed on the new rest strategy, but the Lakers executive suggested what he thought would be a better course of action.

“With our competition committee, we have discussed the possibility of doing away with back-to-back games,” Pelinka said. That is something we would be in favor of. Can we get rid of them entirely?”

This season, the Lakers will play 15 sets of back-to-back games, up from 12 in the previous year.

After being benched during the Denver series, Russell will be back as the team’s main ball handler, according to an announcement made by Ham on Thursday. James, Davis, and Reaves are obviously starters because of their performance from the previous season.

“He’s our starting point guard,” Ham said. “I’ll advise him to use assertiveness. Hailing from a very bright basketball family, he is returning with a grudge. He is one of those people who is really proud and passionate about not just his own performance but also the performance of his teammates. We believe in him and he selected us.

He is another player that is expected to have a fantastic season.