“Former Celtics star outshines Lakers’ LeBron James after Thunder loss”

In his record-breaking 22nd season, 20-time All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers power forward LeBron James may finally be showing signs of age-related decline on offense.

The four-time league MVP, who at 39 is the oldest active player in the NBA, had a strong start to the 2024-25 season while displaying a more respectful demeanor toward a fellow All-Star than he has ever looked before. With the jump this season, it was clear: nine-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA Lakers center Anthony Davis is the offensive lynchpin for new head coach JJ Redick, not James.

However, James has looked completely uninspired as a goalscorer lately. In his last four contests (in which LA has gone 1-3 and lost by 25 or more points twice), James is averaging a shockingly average 16.0 points on .422/.176/1,000 shooting splits, 8.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals.

His most recent tally was an 11-point effort on 5 of 13 shooting from the floor (0 of 4 from deep) and 2 of 2 shooting from charity stripe in a 101-93 2024 Emirates NBA Cup loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. James also contributed eight rebounds and six assists (with five turnovers).

The Thunder’s performance inspired former 2008 Boston Celtics champion center Kendrick Perkins (once a teammate of James on the Cleveland Cavaliers), now a talking head at ESPN, to predict that James will retire after 2024-25 could.

The 1.90 meter tall power forward is under contract until the 2025/26 season, which would be his record-breaking 23rd in the league. However, he has a player option and could decline it and retire permanently. His son, 20-year-old Lakers rookie point guard Bronny James, just joined the team this year and seemed to rekindle LeBron’s enthusiasm earlier this year.

Despite the elder James’ recent four-game mini-loss, he can still put up All-Star numbers, although his scoring consistency may have slipped a bit. James is averaging 22.3 points on .498/.388/.750 shooting splits, 9.1 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 0.7 steals per contest.

At 11-8 this year, the Lakers are currently the No. 6 seed in a highly competitive Western Conference. James and Davis have been relatively healthy this season, which is a bit of a surprise given their recent history (other than last year). A prolonged absence for either star could prove fatal to LA’s postseason chances. The team is currently just two games ahead of the No. 11 seed Minnesota Timberwolves, a team with two 2024 All-Stars and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and 2.5 games ahead of the Sacramento Kings, a club with three 2023 All-Stars. The margin for error is small. Therefore, a prolonged slip by James would also mean trouble for Los Angeles.

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