After Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers were granted a few days off from travel, which provided them with much-needed leisure. The ensuing contest resulted in a decisive victory over the Charlotte Hornets, led, as usual, by Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

However, the Lakers will conclude the month of December on the road and with another back-to-back, just as they did for the majority of the month. The Lakers will travel to Minnesota on Saturday night to face the Timberwolves, and then to New Orleans on New Year’s Eve to face the Pelicans.

Head coach Darvin Ham has spent the entire season attempting to manage the minutes of his two stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, as the year 2023 nears its conclusion, the Lakers head coach is not particularly concerned with minute restrictions for either player and anticipates them to be available for both games, provided they maintain their health.

“Those guys are incredibly competitive,” Ham remarked following the Lakers’ 21-point victory over the Hornets. “Additionally, there are two teams that will be in close proximity.” One team is leading the Western Conference, while the other is on the rise. Thus, I anticipate that those individuals will be prepared and accessible.

“I am uncertain as to whether a minute restriction or zone pertains to this level of high school basketball as the year comes to a close. I simply anticipate that, God willing, we will arrive in Minnesota without incident and be prepared to play that game on Saturday. Later, you can worry about the remainder.”

James and Davis have consistently demonstrated a willingness and capability to exert maximum effort and contribute the required number of minutes to ensure victory for the Lakers when the going gets tough. Ham is cognizant of the fact that if the Lakers wish to conclude this month on a high note, that may be required once more.

However, because of their resounding victory over Charlotte, James and Davis were able to rest for the entirety of the fourth quarter, for which Davis is grateful.

Davis stated, “It helps our team whenever I am able to bank minutes, especially heading into a difficult back-to-back in Minnesota and New Orleans.”

The Lakers have recently been pitted against some of the league’s elite opponents, and the outcomes have been inconsistent at best. Despite LeBron’s absence, the team was competitive against the Timberwolves last week, and they rebounded to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the second-best record in the Western Conference. However, the loss on Christmas Day to the Boston Celtics was disheartening.

However, to do so, the Lakers have a tremendous opportunity to communicate with the rest of the league, and Ham will undoubtedly depend on his two talents.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is unconcerned about LeBron James and Anthony Davis’s responsibilities

Another recent concern for James and Davis is the increased оffensive burden resulting from the Lakers’ new starting lineup, which features defensive-minded Jarred Vanderbilt replacing D’Angelo Russell, who was the most offensively gifted player. Although this does not trouble Ham, LeBron and Davis are performing exceptionally well.

“By no means. Ham stated after Wednesday’s practice, “They’re performing exceptionally well not only because they’re out there, but because of the support system as well.” “Both of those players are eager to be on the floor and are performing at an exceptionally high level. Nothing like, “Okay, we have a body shortage, so we must force them to play.” Nah. It is largely attributable to their performance. It’s difficult because they’re performing at a high level.

“However, try to get them breaks whenever possible; it’s difficult to do so when they’re playing that way.” Because it is necessary and, once more, they are in a decent cadence. “At a high level, they do not wish to sit on the bench for an extended period of time.”