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An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball, Image 2 shows LeBron James of the Lakers controls the ball as Cooper Flagg of the Mavericks defends, Image 3 shows LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during a game against the Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n
April basketball doesn\u2019t care about sentiment. It doesn\u2019t reward nostalgia.<\/p>\n
But it does punish miscalculation.<\/p>\n
And right now, the Lakers<\/a> are staring down the most dangerous temptation of all \u2014 asking LeBron James<\/a> to dust off his cape and become Superman once again<\/a>.<\/p>\n But at 41 years old, the math simply doesn\u2019t justify the risk.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James controls the ball as Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Two weeks ago, the Lakers looked like a machine.<\/p>\n A 15-2 record in the month of March<\/a>. An improved defense. An offense that looked unstoppable led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as the two leading scorers. James the third option, doing anything and everything needed to stack up wins.<\/p>\n Then Oklahoma City happened.<\/p>\n In one night, the Lakers didn\u2019t just lose a game \u2014 they lost their entire identity that they worked so hard to build.<\/p>\n Doncic suffered a grade two left hamstring strain. Reaves a grade two oblique strain.<\/p>\n Suddenly, the offensive burden swung back to James like a pendulum snapping its chain.<\/p>\n And now comes the dangerous question: how hard do you push him?<\/p>\n The answer should be simple.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t.<\/p>\n LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n Seeding isn\u2019t everything<\/p>\n The Lakers are locked into a top-six seed regardless of what happens in the final few games of the regular season.<\/p>\n They\u2019re currently hovering between third and fifth, with tiebreakers in their pocket like insurance policies.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s really at stake here?<\/p>\n Yes, homecourt advantage would be nice in the first round of the playoffs, but what did that do for them last year?<\/p>\n Yes, climbing to the No. 3 seed sounds great on paper. It would mean avoiding the reigning champion Thunder in the second round.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves. Paper doesn\u2019t win playoff games. Health does.<\/p>\n And if the Lakers want any chance of defeating either Houston or Minnesota without Doncic and Reaves, they need a healthy James and also a healthy Marcus Smart.<\/p>\n LeBron James drives to the basket against the Mavericks. AP<\/p>\n Cost of pushing LeBron\u00a0<\/p>\n At 41 years old, every minute James plays on the court \u2014 and he\u2019s already played more than any other player in history \u2014 is a gamble against time.<\/p>\n James has proven that he still has greatness left in him.<\/p>\n As the third option behind Doncic and Reaves, he could pick and choose his moments to dominate a game. Or focus on what the team needed like, rebounding, defense, passing, spacing the floor, etc.<\/p>\n But what he can\u2019t do now is play 40 or more minutes a game for a long stretch of time as the primary ballhandler, scorer, and defender. It\u2019s just not possible.<\/p>\n James has already proven recovery at 41 isn\u2019t linear. It\u2019s fragile and unpredictable. After falling on his elbow in Denver on March 5, he missed the next three games with arthritis in his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s called old,\u201d said a smiling James when asked about his foot injury at the time. \u201cYou just wake up with s\u2014 you didn\u2019t have the night before.\u201d<\/p>\n Even more reason why the Lakers need to preserve James for the playoffs.<\/p>\n They already made the correct decision by sitting him against Oklahoma City<\/a> on Tuesday, a team that beat them by 43 points just four days prior.<\/p>\n Now they need to double down on it.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean rest him for every game down the stretch, but split the back-to-back coming up on Thursday and Friday. Pick one game \u2014 Golden State or Phoenix \u2014 and live with the result. Sit him the other.<\/p>\n The Lakers last game of the season is at home against Utah on Sunday. Only play your starters if you have something to play for \u2014 seeding or homecourt \u2014 otherwise rest everyone.<\/p>\n LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during the game against the Dallas Mavericks. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n Opponent Game<\/p>\n There\u2019s another layer here. Matchups might be more important than seeding.<\/p>\n The Lakers don\u2019t want a first-round date with Denver. Not without Doncic and Reaves.<\/p>\n The Houston Rockets are young, fast, and athletic, but they\u2019re also chaotic. They haven\u2019t been the same since allegations that star player Kevin Durant was using a burner account to criticize his teammates.<\/p>\n Could Houston be the better opponent? Maybe, but the Rockets have won six straight and appear to have righted the ship.<\/p>\n The Timberwolves are battling health as well.<\/p>\n Anthony Edwards isn\u2019t fully healthy, missing 8 of the last 10 games with a lingering knee injury. Reportedly, it\u2019s the same injury that sidelined Steph Curry for two months before his return on Sunday. Jaden McDaniels has missed the last five games and is considered week to week with patella tendinopathy in his left knee.<\/p>\n LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three point basket during the game against the Dallas Mavericks. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n Final Call<\/p>\n The temptation will be there for the Lakers to play James, Smart, and the rest of their rotation for the final few games of the regular season.<\/p>\n The players will push for it as well. The illusion of momentum. The experience of his new lineup and rotations together without Doncic and Reaves.<\/p>\n But momentum in the final few games of the season means nothing.<\/p>\n Just ask last year\u2019s team.<\/p>\n Health is already fragile with the Lakers, there\u2019s no need to risk it even further because the Lakers don\u2019t need James to be Superman right now.<\/p>\n They just need him to still be standing when the playoffs start so that he can remind the league of who he still is.<\/p>\n And that requires something far more difficult than greatness.<\/p>\n It requires restraint.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3e37c7911e53b8d7102ff84a73d323da.jpeg\"\/)
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