LeBron James saw limited playing time in the Lakers’ opening gameCredit: Getty

Anthony Davis and others will have to step up while James is sidelinedCredit: Getty

James only played 29 minutes in the Lakers’ opening loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said his playing time will most likely stay down.

“We’ll see,” Ham said. “In all likelihood, yes.”

The Lakers feel they need to keep James healthy to be successful and in his age 21 season, playing time is a big factor in his health.

“It’s easy with him to get caught up in the emotion of the game and you tend to forget you want to play these long stretches,” Ham said.

“In order for him to be as effective as possible we have to be mindful of the minute output and how long his stretches are.”

James has played an average of 38.1 minutes per game in his career. The opener against the Nuggets was almost ten minutes lower than that.

“I guess there’s a system in place and I’m going to follow it,” James said to The Athletic.

Last season, James only played less than 29 minutes once in 55 games.

That game also happened while James was injured late in the season.

“You always want to be on the floor,” James said after the opening loss.”

“Especially when you have the opportunity to win a game or you feel like you can make an impact.”

“I think for me and my performance individually in a time when I was out there, I think I was productive.”

It certainly sounds like James wants to be on the court. More games and the Lakers’ record will show if they can afford to keep him sidelined.

The team’s other superstars like Anthony Davis will have to step up in the meantime.