LeBron James minutes per game: How does 21-year veteran's 12-minute rest per game have 2-way effect on Purple & Gold squad?

In his 21st season, LeBron James is logging an average of 35.9 minutes per game, the second-highest on the LA Lakers, trailing only behind Anthony Davis. He has played in all seven of the Lakers' games so far.

The Lakers have had an inconsistent start to the season, securing a 3-4 record with losses against the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets.

Despite the Lakers' inconsistency, one standout aspect is LeBron James' notable performance. As reported by NBA Central on X, James is substantially elevating the Lakers' performance when he's on the court, and when he takes a seat on the bench, the team's performance tends to decline.

With “The King” on the court, the Lakers boast an offensive rating of 116.7. In contrast, when he's not playing, it drops significantly to 91.2.

The Lakers’ opponents score at a rate of 107.0 with James on the court, but that number jumps to 127.8 when he's off.

These numbers result in a huge differential of +46.2.

James has been putting up impressive numbers this season, averaging 25.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He leads the team in scoring, but he also has the highest average in turnovers, with 4.3 per game.

Why is LeBron James logging significant minutes?

After the LA Lakers' 119-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets on opening night, coach Darvin Ham said that LeBron James would be limited to playing between 28 to 32 minutes in future games to safeguard the forward’s health.

“Again, it’s gonna be a day-by-day process, gauged on how he’s feeling, getting communication from him, our training staff and medical staff. We communicate and collaborate … and again, it’s easy with him,” Ham said.

Despite the initial announcement, LeBron James has actually been the second-most utilized player on the Lakers this season. Following the Lakers' overtime win against the Clippers, in which LeBron played 42 minutes, coach Darvin Ham revisited the discussion of managing the playing time of the 38-year-old superstar.

"It's a daily thing. We go into it with a plan but once those games get hotly contested, that plan pretty much goes out the window," he said. "I always say I have a plan for him through three quarters and that fourth quarter, anything can happen.”

James has tallied the following playing time durations this season: 29 minutes, 35 minutes, 39 minutes and 5 seconds, 32 minutes and 47 seconds, 42 minutes and 29 seconds, 35 minutes and 13 seconds, and 37 minutes and 24 seconds.