"He's got Ben Simmons demons" - Skip Bayless calls out LeBron James for not driving to the basket in crunch time
LeBron James and the LA Lakers continue to attempt to climb the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers (26-28) have won four of their last 10 games. Los Angeles, as usual, is in the middle of the national spotlight, but this season mostly for its struggles.
Although James has been fantastic, the Lakers have struggled to find any winning momentum. Their best stretches have been a four-game winning streak and a pair of three-game winning streaks.
Los Angeles' woes included a 111-110 loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday. On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" Monday, sports analyst Skip Bayless said James needs to be more aggressive at the end of games.
"Once LeBron gets going downhill, nobody left in this league can keep him from the rim," Bayless said. "King, just drive the basketball! Have the guts to go to the line, because the game is tied."
Bayless said James is one of the most dominant forces when he's attacking the basket. True enough, James has given opposing defenders nightmares over the years with his combination of strength and quickness.
James has had struggles at the free-throw line in crunch time in recent years. Bayless said it's something that is damaging LeBron's mindset, saying he has developed "Ben Simmons demons" at the free-throw line.
"He's actually got Ben Simmons demons," Bayless said.
"Once LeBron gets going downhill, nobody left in this league can keep him from the rim. King, just drive the basketball! Have the guts to go to the line because the game is tied."
— @RealSkipBayless on LeBron's first game back https://t.co/WJ1tFaim27
LeBron James and the Lakers trying to get back on track
As the season nears the All-Star break, fans are watching closely to see if the LA Lakers make any changes. The trade deadline is Thursday, just a couple of days away, and it's clear the Lakers are going to need a strong second half of the season if they want to secure a spot in the playoffs.
29 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists.
And having fun while doing it 👑 https://t.co/2InthhrQjl
Although the Lakers have struggled, superstar forward LeBron James has been a standout. After recently being sidelined for five games with a knee injury, James returned Saturday night with an impressive 29-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist performance in a 122-115 overtime win over the New York Knicks.
In his last nine games, James is averaging 30.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
James has 36,443 career points in 19 seasons, third on the all-time scoring list. He likely will surpass Karl Malone (36,928 points) this season. Next season, he can attempt to catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387).