Nick Wright lashes out on LA Lakers for spoiling LeBron James’ in-game efforts: "What LeBron is doing right now is not realistic”
FS1 analyst Nick Wright feels the Lakers are spoiling LeBron James’ in-game efforts. Wright pointed out that James is playing the best season ever for a player in his 20th season and is not getting any support from the team around him. The struggling Lakers have lost five of their last six games.
"What LeBron is doing right now is not realistic.” - Nick Wright
Wright discussed the possibility of LeBron James playing much longer and how that is unrealistic, but also noted that the level he is playing at now is not realistic either. He quoted some stats that only 10 players in NBA history have after playing for 20 years.
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James is having a better 20th season statistically than the other nine players who have reached this feat. However, Wright believes the Lakers are letting LeBron down. Wright said:
"And yet, once again, LeBron finds himself in a position, more than any other all-time great player ever, that somehow his team cannot even hold on for dear life when he goes and gets his little bit of rest each night."
The Lakers are a better team when James is on the floor, and the problem is that when he is not playing, the team’s performance fails him. The team is +60 when he is on the floor and -59 when he is off the court. At 38 years old, asking him to play more than 35 minutes per game that he is already playing is unreasonable.
LeBron's last 9 games:
32.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 6.9 APG, 56.7 FG%
+60 (319 min) On Court
-59 (118 min) Off Court
"What LeBron is doing right now is not realistic but we're seeing it every night. Only 10 guys have made it to Year 20. Only 4 have averaged 10 PPG." — @getnickwright https://t.co/qvkZXebHf2
LeBron James could play out this season without expecting to become a contender. The season's highlight for him will probably be breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record. The team won’t make the playoffs or see a play-in game.
Should the Lakers shut LeBron James down after the record?
LeBron James is expected to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s forty-year-old scoring sometime this season. If LeBron surpasses Jabbar, maybe the Lakers should sit him down for the rest of the season. This would be especially true if Anthony Davis is not back from injury. If it is later in the season, maybe the team could sit on both players.
The Lakers do not need to make any roster changes this season. There isn’t a deal that could be out there that the team could make where they would be instantly better. If LeBron wants to play next season, the team may want to explore sitting him down for the rest of the season.
The team will get a chance to remake the roster next season. The team only has around five players under contract beyond this season. Guard Russell Westbrook, in particular, has a big contract. His $37 million off the books could open the team for further investments.