LeBron James says Lakers decision to reverse minutes restriction for game against Suns game an 'easy' call

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Four-time NBA champion LeBron James played a total of 29 minutes in Tuesday's season opener. After the game, second-year Lakers coach Darvin Ham suggested that James' workload on was indicative of the team's plan going forward.

"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, but 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," Ham said.

But as the Lakers headed into the fourth quarter in their second game of the season, the team faced another deficit. Ham then had a pivotal decision to make. He had to weigh the importance of sticking with James' minutes restriction or utilize the superstar to help the team avoid an 0-2 start to the season.

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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket as he is triple teamed by Jusuf Nurkic #20, Grayson Allen #8 and Eric Gordon #23 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Crypto.com Arena on October 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Ham ultimately decided to rely on James, and the choice paid off. James played every single minute of the fourth quarter and delivered a clutch performance to help lift the Lakers to a 100-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

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"He asked me if I could go the [whole] quarter, and I looked at the time and the score and what was going on in the game, and it was an easy answer for myself," James said after finishing with 21 points, 9