Steve Nash and Pau Gasol aren’t spring chickens anymore. That became increasingly apparent for Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni, when both men struggled to remain healthy for the majority of last season.
So in an effort to avoid those circumstances repeating itself in the upcoming season, D’Antoni told Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, that he intends to limit the minutes of Nash and Gasol.
“I think Pau and Nash will be 100% before the season starts,” D’Antoni said. “We’ll try to go slow with them during preseason and make sure they’re OK. We’ll see how the season goes but maybe work with them to keep their minutes down to where it’s manageable and keep them OK.”
If the Lakers have any chance of making any significant noise next season, something that doesn’t seem likely at the moment, Nash and Gasol will have to avoid the injuries, just because there isn’t any quality depth on the roster to make up for any prolonged absence from either player.