Due to the absence of Anthony Davis and Dennis Schroder, the two main players, LeBron James has been overloaded for a while. The American media saw the huge risk of Zhan Huang’s overloading and believed that the mistake the Lakers made on Kobe Bryant 8 years ago is now repeated in Zhan Huang.
In the 2012-13 season, the 34-year-old Kobe played one of the best performances of his career. In the 71 games before that season, Kobe averaged 27.2 points per game and hit 47%. In order to make a foray into the playoffs, Kobe continued to overload at the end of the season. In the 7 games from March 30 to April 12, Kobe played an average of 45.5 minutes per game, of which 4 games played more than 47 minutes. The Lakers won 6 of 7 games and secured a spot in the playoffs.
People have expressed concern about Kobe’s continuous overloading, but no one on the Lakers can stop him. In the game against the Golden State Warriors on April 13, Kobe suffered a severe Achilles tendon injury. He left the game after completing two free throws. And Kobe’s career has never been able to return to the top.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKiQsg-8nEM
Now, Zhan Huang seems to be walking at the same pace. In 11 games in February this year, the 36-year-old Zhan Huang played 38.2 minutes per game, the most in the league. In the recent loss to the Wizards, Zhan Huang fought for 43 minutes, but the Lakers still could not escape a 3-game losing streak.
In fact, the Lakers have been paying attention to controlling the playing time of Emperor James. Before February, Zhan Huang played 33.3 minutes per game, a career low. But overall, Zhan Huang has played 1,120 minutes this season, third in the league. The increase in Zhan Huang’s playing time stems from the injuries of his teammates. As AD and Schroder two major players missed due to injury, Zhan Huang must take greater responsibility.
Zhan Huang has always claimed that “he will never feel tired”, which is also very similar to Kobe. Similarly, like Kobe, Emperor Zhan’s enterprising spirit will not shrink from the increase in workload. Instead, he wants to accept the challenge.
For the Lakers, the most cautious approach is to let Zhan Huang take turns, at least one rest. But like Kobe in 2013, James James has a huge influence on the Lakers. Except for himself, no one can really manage his load.
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