The Lakers star is struggling with his worst game of the season at the age of 40

What, did you think LeBron James would average a triple-double in his 22nd NBA season, the year he turns 40?

James’ longevity coupled with his 20 years^Th Back-to-back All-NBA selections last season may raise unrealistic expectations of what the old man can do, even if he continues to accomplish feats no other player can match at this age.

The topic of James’ “decline” reached its greatest volume following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 109-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

James scored just 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting, including 0-for-4 on 3-pointers, with eight rebounds, four assists and six turnovers, and needed a free throw with 8:51 left in the fourth quarter, to extend his lead streak of at least 10 points in 1,243 games – a period extending to January 6, 2007.

Father Time has caught up. The worst game of his career. Showing real signs of decline. All modern near-surface attractors. And ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins posted on social media: “A car that runs perfectly can fall apart after it reaches 100,000 miles.” Age 40 could be his 100,000. I mean, at least that’s what my grandfather told me when his Oldsmobile stopped running.”

James is in crisis. There’s no arguing about that. In his last six games, he shot 43 of 108 from the field, including 3 of 30 on 3-pointers, and averaged 16.8 points. He has missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers in the last four games.

This is a brutal route. He can’t hide from it, one of the worst shooting slumps of his career.

“It’s the rhythm. I just felt like I was getting out of rhythm in the last three or four games,” James told reporters.

The Lakers’ offense has generally not been good over the last six games – 2-4 with an offensive rating of 102.4 points per 100 possessions, barely better than the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans over that span. The whole team fights.

Six games is also not a meaningful sample size to make definitive statements about the course of James’ season. Overall, James is averaging 22 points (which would be his lowest point average since his rookie season in 2003-04), shooting 48.2% from the field and 34.5% from 3-pointers, and collecting 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game.

It’s not the most efficient offensive production. However, do you know how many other players are averaging at least 22 points, 9.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds this season? One, and that is Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, including the winner of the award last season.

It’s not like James is the Twelve^Th Players on the bench. Just four months ago, he was an integral part of USA Basketball’s gold medal team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won MVP. This season, James has posted 12 double-doubles and six triple-doubles (second most) in the league and is the oldest player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double.

His skills haven’t simply disappeared over the last six games.

Let’s revisit Perkins’ (outdated) automobile analogy and apply a modern perspective. Today, cars last more than 100,000 miles and still work well. They may require some additional maintenance.

And for James, that could mean occasional missed games. He would like to play all 82 games this season, but that may not be realistic. James has played in all 21 games this season, but note that his dominant performance in Paris came on a schedule in which there were no back-to-back games and games were rarely played every other day.

At the moment, James is not thinking about taking off a game. But the Lakers, James and coach JJ Redick should think about what’s best for the 40-year-old to perform at his best.

Related Posts

Australia’s tail defies India after Bumrah fireworks to ensure thrilling MCG finish | cricket

Team news West Ham vs Arsenal: Gabriel starts

San Francisco is hit by the first tornado warning, leaving several people injured and cars overturning

Leave a Reply Cancel reply