LeBron James is bucking the NBA world's expectations by going pedal-to-the-metal after the league's shortest offseason
- Many thought LeBron James would ease through this season after a short offseason.
- Instead, James has played 36 of 37 games, averaging nearly 35 minutes per game.
- James could be looking for a fifth MVP and may use the second half of the season to make a point.
Most people in the NBA world would understand if LeBron James took it a little easy this season in an attempt to preserve himself for the playoffs.
After all, James and the Los Angeles Lakers spent three months in the Disney bubble en route to the championship. They then had less than two months off before training camps began for a compressed, 72-game season.
At 36 years old, with over 60,000 career minutes under his belt between the regular season and playoffs, there was a general expectation that James might play fewer games and minutes this season, all with the hope of being fresh for the playoffs.
That hasn't been the case. James has played in 36 of the Lakers' 37 games, averaging 34.6 minutes per game, identical to last season. In February, his minutes jumped to 36 per game.
LeBron is not ready to slow down
On Thursday, James told reporters that he had no intention of dialing it back in the second half of the season.
"It's go time," James said. "It's time to get prepared and make that turnaround and that last lap going into the postseason."
This is a far cry from what many expected entering the season. In November, as rumors about a December start to the regular season swirled, former Lakers guard Danny Green said he didn't expect to see James until January.
James can keep going as long as his mind is fresh
James said on Thursday that while he is rarely ever fully healthy, when his mind is fresh, he's able to play as much as needed.
"I want to feel as good as I possibly can. But at the end of the day, I'm never going to be healthy again," James said. "I haven't been healthy since the first year I entered the league. You get bumps and bruises and nicks and knacks. I do a great job of keeping my body in the best possible shape that I can possibly be in that particular season.
"But more importantly, it's not about my body - it's my mind. As long as my mind is fresh, I can get over the bumps and bruises that my body may endure. At the end of the day, my mind on the floor gets me through games, and I'm still able to play at a high level that you wouldn't really understand because of my IQ."
James only got a few days off over the All-Star break as he played in the game for the 17th year in a row. James had previously said holding the game was a "slap in the face" because he had hoped for a week off to rest.
LeBron may be aiming for a milestone MVP award
There is a league-wide belief that James is shooting for the MVP this season - what would be the fifth of his career, moving him into a tie with Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James has a case: he is averaging 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, with a 57.2% eFG, his most efficient shooting season in the last three years. The Lakers are 24-13, 3rd in the West, and reliant upon James: they've outscored opponents by 253 points with him on the court this season and been outscored by 48 points in the minutes he has sat.
With 35 games remaining, expect to see James dial it up even more in an attempt to help his team and perhaps prove a point.
"I use the first half of the season of being in gear one, two, and three," James said on Thursday. "Second half, being more 4, 5 and 6. Then when the playoffs start, you're in 7. That's the way I judged the last few years of my career on ramping up more and more and more."