After the Lakers’ rout of the Memphis Grizzlies, its star player is feeling confident about the team’s future.
With LeBron James entering the season at the age of 38, we were all aware that the Lakers were going to approach the situation with him in a careful manner. This season, after 20 seasons and more than 54,000 minutes, James finds himself balancing on a tightrope with the Purple and Gold. Despite this, he claims that he is playing with the utmost freedom in 2023 after scoring 16 points against the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
“Just going up there and playing free,” added James. “No pressure or anything.” On the basketball court, there is nothing that I am unable to accomplish that I was able to do when I was in my 20s. I’m just aiming to become the best possible triple threat by scoring in the post, in the midrange, and from beyond the arc. I’ve always had the ability to get off the floor and find my teammates.
LeBron James has gotten off to a sizzling start to this season, in spite of the fact that he hinted at retirement over the summer. LeBron James has been the Lakers’ most reliable player on both sides of the court despite the fact that other of the team’s primary players have been sidelined with various injuries. In the games leading up to tonight’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings, he is averaging 24.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists across 33.7 minutes played per contest.
LeBron James Is Maturing Like An Old Vintage Wine
Despite the fact that Darvin Ham has made it abundantly obvious that he plans to reduce the offensive burden that is placed on LeBron James, the King is now playing some of the best basketball he has in years. James is currently leading the Los Angeles Lakers in the same manner as he did during his very first season with the team, having turned back the clock on his career thanks to the rest and preparation he received during the summer. After reaching the Western Conference Finals the previous year, the Los Angeles Lakers are once again in position to win the Western Conference. This is despite the fact that LeBron James is currently the oldest active player in the league. He is still considered one of the top five stars in the game.
The Lakers are aware of how vital it is to keep LeBron James healthy heading into the postseason despite how good he has been for their team. After playing in only 22 minutes against the Grizzlies, LeBron was labeled as questionable for Wednesday’s game, and it appears like his availability for back-to-back games will always be in question this year. Thankfully, the Lakers may have enough depth to survive a minutes restriction for LeBron, but they haven’t demonstrated that they can manage without him for extended periods of time yet. It should come as no surprise that this might provide a significant obstacle for the squad in question.
Is It Possible For The Lakers To Win The Title In 2024?
Anthony Davis is the most important factor in the Lakers’ chances of winning games right now. We saw in 2020 that the Lakers are at their finest when they are running things through Davis, and it was Davis’s dominance on both offense and defense that made the difference for the Lakers when they were trying to make the bubble. Davis, on the other hand, has not demonstrated any consistency since that season. Anthony Davis has had a difficult time maintaining his health and has been in and out of the starting lineup on a regular basis. It is currently unknown whether or not he will be able to remain on the floor for a period of time that will allow the Lakers to finish in the top four of the Western Conference. However, even when he is playing, Davis has a propensity to become comfortable, and the Lakers are in a very precarious position whenever he loses his aggressiveness in such a manner.
The Lakers are in a better position than they were at this point last season when they started 2-10, despite the fact that they had hoped for a much better start than their current record of 6-5. Los Angeles has avoided digging an early hole because to the services of Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and talented swingman Cam Reddish. They are thought to be one of the few teams that are capable of giving the Nuggets a meaningful challenge in the West.
