"LeBron, all of a sudden... is not ageing well" - The Athletic's Joe Vardon points out LeBron James' poor injury record in the last 2 years has had a negative effect on LA Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his injury track record of late has been the topic of conversation among basketball fans all over the world. King James' injury history has come under the optics of many NBA fans and some are beginning to wonder if this might be the end of the road for LeBron James.
On the Pinnacle podcast, Joe Vardon, who covers the NBA for the Athletic, has made some comments regarding LeBron James and his recent injuries. He said:
"LeBron all of a sudden has had terrible luck or is not aging very well and that's hard to say about a guy who's going to turn 37 in a couple of weeks because he's been virtually injury free and obviously one of the two to three greatest players of all time for his entire career. But these last two seasons have been a nightmare."
He continued:
"Now all of a sudden, he's getting knicks and bruises that keep him out for weeks. The Lakers haven't been able to recover when he goes out. It's been a mess."
💬 "These last two seasons have been a nightmare"
@joevardon talks Lebron James...
Full podcast: bit.ly/3dcFbgL https://t.co/8laiOq3s5k
How important is LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers?
The answer is: very important. Arguably the greatest player of all time, LeBron James improves every team that he plays for in the NBA. Despite turning 37 in a couple of weeks, LeBron James is averaging 25.6 points, 6.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting the ball better than 47% from the field and higher than 33% from range.
LeBron James is also attempting the most three-pointers of his career with 8.4 attempts from range per game. This is supposed to solve the spacing issues for the Lakers with the likes of Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis on the floor who are shooting 32% and 18.8% from the perimeter respectively.
LeBron James tonight:
33 Points
9 Assists
5 Rebounds
2 Steals
1 Block
60% FG
4 Threes
30 piece for the King. 👑 https://t.co/Ef9EwRxLFy
Another aspect of LeBron James' arsenal that will dramatically improve the Lakers is his ability to drive to the basket and kick it out to the open man. The likes of Wayne Ellington and Malik Monk will be salivating at the thought of having open shots in games, as they have proven to be consistent threats from range so far this season, with the duo shooting 39.5% and 36.8% respectively.
We have also seen coach Frank Vogel adopt a policy to deploy LeBron James in the center position. This is uncharted territory for LeBron James but this could prove to be the right way to move forward for the Lakers. At least for now. This method has been adopted when Anthony Davis is on the bench as this would mean you can surround LeBron James with four shooters all the while opening up the route to the rim for King James.
While he continues to be a pivotal part of the Los Angeles Lakers, all hope of the franchise doing well this season will come down to the health of LeBron James.