"I see competitiveness before I see frustration" - Chris Broussard defends LeBron James on his aggresive action towards Scottie Barnes
As LeBron James and the LA Lakers continue their dismal streak of performances this season, Chris Broussard his take on James' competitive nature and frustration while referring to an incident during the game against Toronto.
Broussard made comments about James' competitiveness when referring to a play where the superstar threw the ball on Raptors' forward Scottie Barnes to save a possession. He said:
"I see competitiveness [from LeBron] before I see frustration. Sure, there's frustration too. But like Nick (Wright) said, some of these are good basketball plays. I'm not trying to go all 'when men were men mode.' I've done it on this show, I'll do it again.'
He added:
"But this play with Scottie Barnes, that's a great basketball play. They've been doing it since Doctor Naismith been hanging peach baskets. Absolutely. That was my go-to move. I didn't have much, but I had that in my arsenal. So that's a great play."
Moving on from LeBron James' play on Barnes, Broussard continued to address James' frustration with the current situation.
"He's 37-years old. He's playing great basketball. I see a guy who is trying to set an example for his teammates, who desperately wants to win & get in the play-in. LeBron is not mailing it in & I love that," he said.
"This shows that LeBron is not just 'who cares about winning at this point. Let me get Kareem's record.' He is trying to get into the play-in because he knows Chris Broussard said he's still got a puncher's chance and LeBron believes it just as much as I do. And I like it. This is what they need in Laker Land."
"I see competitiveness [from LeBron] before I see frustration. Sure, there's frustration too. ... I see a guy who is trying to set an example for his teammates, who desperately wants to win & get in the play-in. LeBron is not mailing it in & I love that." — @Chris_Broussard https://t.co/znUnPVizjD
James ended the night with another 30-point performance in the loss. With the LA Lakers continuing their streak of losses, the side faces the very real possibility of falling further down the Western Conference ladder.
What more can LeBron James do for the LA Lakers?
This last week has seen LeBron James play some of the finest basketball of his career from an offensive standpoint.
"The King" has been nothing short of incendiary as he notched three consecutive games with 30+ points - one of which was a 50-point showcase against the Washington Wizards.
LeBron James pulls up for 50.
What a show. https://t.co/eonleuxLTI
Unfortunately, the LA Lakers have not been able to capitalize on the brilliant displays of their aging superstar. It's almost as if LeBron's brilliance this season has been overshadowed by the Lakers' failures as a unit.
While James is not completely absolved of all the blame for these losses, he has been one of the few bright sparks this snake-bitten Lakers season has had.
The Purple and Gold are currently the ninth-seed in the West with a 29-39 record. With a 2-5 record in the month of March, the Lakeshow are also only one game ahead of the tenth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans.
Considering the subpar performances of the Lakers as a whole and Anthony Davis being out of the rotation, there is only so much James can do to keep the team afloat.