Coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance last year, the Los Angeles Lakers are motivated to get back to that point and get over the hump. To put it into perspective, the Lakers have a 38-year-old star in LeBron James leading them and are still focused on winning championships.
This is something that nobody has seen as someone at James’ age playing at a high level and wanting to compete for championships is remarkable. However, heading into the 2023-24 season, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham knew that they needed a roster to relieve the workload of James and manage him accordingly.
Despite the perceived depth of the L.A. all offseason, it has not stopped the four-time champion from still having scoring outbursts, recently scoring 37 points in a 105-104 win against the Houston Rockets on Sunday. James explained what has helped him find a rhythm to begin the season, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“I have been able to be on the court a lot more during off days this year because of past injuries the last couple years with my foot or whatever the case may be,” James told ESPN. “So to be able to hone in on everything that I need to do instead of having to get off my foot, unless we’re playing games has allowed me to stay in rhythm.
“I got my bounce back, my spring back, my quick twitch back and things of that nature.”
Throughout his time in L.A., James has dealt with a fair share of nagging injuries that have hindered him from playing fully healthy. In the NBA, every player is usually dealing with some sort of ailment throughout the season, and for James right now that is a calf contusion. But more importantly, LeBron’s foot seems completely healed by the way he is attacking the rim and shooting the ball with confidence.
However, the calk will something worth monitoring as the season progresses as James has been on the injury report in recent games. It seems that is not bothering him right now, but it would be ideal to get that issue resolved so LeBron remains on the floor and playing at a high level.
Regardless, in the last 10 games, he has averaged 28.3 points, eight rebounds and 6.4 assists on 61% from the field and 44% from 3. It is remarkable to see this kind of production from a 38-year-old and hopefully the Lakers can continue to build off these performances to result in more wins.
Anthony Davis praises James for his ‘phenomenal’ play
The Lakers have now won five out of their last six games with James coming off back-to-back 30-point performances. His co-star Anthony Davis praised James for his ‘phenomenal’ play as of late, crediting him for continuing to lead the team.
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