"That should scare the rest of the league if AD can stay healthy" - Nick Wright on LeBron James' 'over-my-dead-body' attitude in year 19 and LA Lakers' success
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, and the incredible season he is having, has come under immense praise from folks all over the media covering the NBA this season.
The praise continued on Fox Sports' morning show 'First Things First', as sports media personality Nick Wright poured incredible praise on LeBron's performances this season. Wright even went as far as to say that James' exploits this season have been underplayed.
"I think it is underplayed and underrated what he's doing right now. That guy is going to win the scoring title in year 19. In a playoff series, there is no one in the West than can do what LeBron can do — still in Year 19."
Wright also talked about how the Lakers, despite all their problems, still pose a major threat in the postseason because of James. The soon-to-be eighteen-time NBA All-Star looks like a man on a mission and is willing his team forward with an over-my-dead-body attitude this season. Wright put forward that if Anthony Davis can remain healthy alongside James then the rest of the league should be scared.
"LeBron still can. That should scare the rest of the league if AD can stay healthy."
"What LeBron's doing right now is underrated. LeBron's going to win the scoring title, in Year 19. ... In a playoff series, no one in the West than can do what LeBron can do — still in Year 19. That should scare the rest of the league if AD can stay healthy." — @getnickwright https://t.co/sSuSi5SXHz
LeBron James and his 19th season in the league
After turning 37 in December, LeBron James has been a one-man wrecking crew this season for the Lakers as their championship aspirations continue to hang in the balance. However, the precarious position the 24-24 Lakers find themselves in is in no way James' fault, as he continues to defy age and logic in year 19.
LeBron is currently averaging 29 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting the ball better than 52% from the field and a little over 35% from beyond the arc for the Lakers. He has recorded three triple-doubles and 13 double-doubles for the L.A.-based franchise this season. Despite recording a career-high number of attempts from the perimeter per game (7.9), he is still shooting better than his career average from deep, with 2.8 made threes per game.
LeBron James has 22 30-point games this season.
The only player with more 30-point games in a season at age 36 or older is Karl Malone (27 in 1999-00) https://t.co/Hbr71irpD5
The all-time All-NBA selections leader is also averaging the third-fewest turnovers of his career with 3.2 a night. But despite these incredible numbers, they haven't necessarily translated into wins for the Lakers this campaign.
One of the primary reasons why the Purple and Gold haven't meshed well is down to the lack of chemistry between James and Russell Westbrook. The injury-stricken Davis has also not helped proceedings this season as he has missed a huge chunk of time this season (28 games) due to injury.
The Lakers are ranked 23rd in the league in terms of offensive rating (108.5) and 18th in terms of defensive rating (109.7). However, when the Lakers have got their act together defensively and restricted the opposition to under 100 points, they tend to win.
LeBron James is having an MVP caliber season, but because of the poor record held by the Lakers, he could fall out of contention. If the Lakers are able to pull things together, then perhaps we could see a late surge towards the end of the season and a deep run in the playoffs for the Purple and Gold.