3 on-court reasons for LeBron James to join the Los Angeles Lakers

3. Ability to rest throughout the season

The most glaring issue with his current situation in Cleveland is the lack of talent around him, which gives LeBron James little if any time to rest without his team falling off the rails. This Cavs roster is bad enough to net a top-five pick in the NBA Draft if LeBron were not on the team, especially considering Kevin Love only played 59 games this season.

LeBron is finishing his 15th season in the NBA and just played in all 82 games. He’s played practically every minute of the postseason outside of exiting for late-game blowouts. He’s looked exhausted towards the end of some games, and his load needs to be shrunk to prolong his career at this high level as he plans to do. He could play less minutes and give a higher degree of effort, maximizing his time on the court.

This is why a move to the Los Angeles Lakers and joining a young team full of playmakers that can carry him at times throughout the season makes sense. With players like Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram capable of running an offense, LeBron wouldn’t have the full pressure of carrying the whole team to success and would have the luxury of letting others initiate the show. Defensively, Ingram and others can take the tougher assignments, freeing James up to play his favorite center field position.

LeBron is at a point where playing 3,026 minutes in the regular season is admirable, but not what he needs to do at this stage of his career. Being surrounded by a youthful team that plays the right way could be a fountain of youth to him. Their personalities are infectious and mix together while offering him plenty of options on the court. He could coast for great stretches of the season while gearing up for the grueling postseason that is the Western Conference.