“A lot of this is based on team success or failure, and this is abject failure” - Skip Bayless believes LeBron James wouldn’t make an All-NBA team this season
LeBron James and the flailing LA Lakers have been eliminated from postseason contention as of Tuesday night. A 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns was the file confirmation, extending the latest losing skid to seven games in the process.
The Lakers (31-48) have been horrendous. They haven't won consecutive games since Jan. 7, and they are 10-29 since Jan. 9. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old James has averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 52.4%.
On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" on Wednesday, analyst Skip Bayless said that despite James' impressive year, he doesn't know if he deserves to be given the nod to make the All-NBA team this year.
James, in his 19th season, was the leading vote-getter in the Western Conference for the All-Star Game, making his 18th appearance. He's been All-NBA 17 times in his first 18 seasons.
"I'm sorry," Bayless said. "I can't see either first or second team All-NBA for LeBron, given what this team has done as the preseason favorite to win the West. A lot of this is based on team success or failure, and this is abject failure."
"I'm sorry, I can't see either 1st or 2nd Team All-NBA for LeBron, given what this team has done as the preseason favorite to win the West. It's abject failure."
— @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/ZPnK2SjL0v
LeBron James and the LA Lakers will miss the playoffs
Given how impressive LeBron James has been, it's odd to see that the LA Lakers won't even make the play-in tournament.
While James has been sensational, his team has never been close to being a serious contender in the Western Conference. The best the Lakers were was 16-13 on Dec. 15. They were 21-19 on Jan. 9 before caving.
Despite being 37, James still has the ability to put up big numbers. But fans will be curious to see how James can hold up next season.
The Lakers have 48 losses this season.
The most by a LeBron James team ever. https://t.co/S2YV3T6PrA
Although James is still one of the league's top players, his health has become a bigger issue over recent years.
Since arriving to the Lakers, LeBron has played more than 60 games in a season just once out of four years. He played 55 games in 2018-19 and 67 (of 72) games in 2019-20, when the Lakers won the NBA championship in the bubble. He played 45 of 72 games last season and has been in 56 of 79 this year.
With James eyeing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record next year, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers make an effort to improve the roster.