Draymond Green does not think the Cleveland Cavaliers should be overly concerned about their sluggish start to the season, but the workload they have been giving LeBron James is a different topic altogether.
In an interview with USA Today’s Sam Amick this week, Green said Cavs players and coaches should only be worried about LeBron averaging more than 38 points per game just 15 games into the season.
“Yeah, he’s super-human but eventually his super-human powers go away, so that would be more of my concern if I’m a Cavs fan or somebody with the Cavs or a player, is like, ‘Man, he’s been playing a lot of 40-minute (nights) and it’s only Nov. 12,’” Green said. “But I wouldn’t be pressing the panic button just yet. At the end of the day, they know how to win. They’ve got a guy who knows how to win, so I wouldn’t necessarily press the panic button. I would see certain things and I would panic about those certain things, just because … I don’t think nobody should be playing 40 minutes a game in November.
LeBron has played more than 40 minutes in six different games this season. That would make sense if it were the postseason, but the four-time NBA MVP will turn 33 next month. The risks are obvious.
On Thursday, James told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that he agrees with Green.
“Draymond’s right,” he said. “We want to get those minutes down for sure. But as of right now, we’ve had two point guards out and we’ve had some different lineup changes, so, I’ve had to play more minutes than I would like, and more minutes than my teammates would like me to have.”
Isaiah Thomas has yet to make his debut this season, and Derrick Rose has already missed eight games with an ankle injury. Tristan Thompson has also missed time with a strained calf. Those injuries have all been a factor, but should the Cavs be risking LeBron’s health this early even under those circumstances?
“Draymond’s right, he’s right on point with it. But there’s going to be games where I have to play 40,” LeBron said. “There’s going to be games where I can play 32. Hopefully it all evens out, especially when IT comes back, D Rose comes back, Tristan comes back, we get more firepower.”
The Cavs have won three straight to get their record above .500, and they may finally be finding a rhythm. If they can find ways to consistently win games and gain more confidence, LeBron should find more minutes to rest.
