“When he goes to sleep at night, he says… ’let’s win a scoring championship for my legacy’” - David Jacoby believes LeBron James and the Lakers might focus on individual goals now
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James is on course to become the oldest player in NBA history to win a scoring title, but there is a small case of playing 70% of the team's total games. TV personality David Jacoby believes that James' intent at this stage of the season is to win the scoring title and not lead the Lakers to a championship run.
The Lakers (31-44) have been grossly disappointing, especially as they were one of the championship favorites coming into the season. In 10th place, they are at risk of finishing outside the play-in bracket.
On the latest episode of ESPN's "This Just In," Jacoby talked about how he thinks the Lakers should approach the rest of their season:
"If you are LeBron James, you look at the team goals first: 'Can we win a championship?' We know now, that is a hard 'no.' I mean, they have to win two games to play the (Phoenix) Suns in a seven-game series. No chance. So, then they start looking individual goals.
"If you're LeBron James, you're 37 years old. The oldest player to win a scoring title in the NBA is Michael Jeffrey Jordan. He did it at 34. That will be just a nice little feather in the cap for LeBron James' career."
In a discussion about how the NBA declares a scoring champion, Jacoby said the person who scored the highest total points should be awarded the title.
James is averaging 30.1 points per game. The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid are tied at 29.9 pppg.
Jacoby suggested James, who missed the last game with an ankle injury on Wednedsay, will pick and choose the games to play:
"I think that when he goes to sleep at night, he says, not 'Let's win a championship for the Lakers and the Lakers fanbase. Let's win a scoring title for my legacy.'"
While things have gone terribly wrong for the Lakers, they could help their captain to a record-breaking run. He has a legitimate chance of winning the scoring title if he successfully meets the league requirements and continues performing at the highest level.
The LA Lakers expect LeBron James and Anthony Davis to return against the New Orleans Pelicans
The Lakers have not had their superstar duo of LeBron and Anthony Davis as much as they would like, but there is a chance they will return against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. With both players, the Purple and Gold stand a decent chance of reaching the playoffs.
Davis has played in only 37 games, averaging 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. Although he has not been at his best, the Lakers will always like their chances when he's healthy.
If the Lakers manage to win two play-in games and reach the playoffs, they will face the top-seeded Phoenix Suns (62-14). James and AD will have the opportunity to exact revenge on the team that eliminated them in the first round of last season's playoffs. Davis recently spoke about how his injury impacted the series and will be looking forward to a different outcome.
However, Phoenix has blasted the Lakers in all three meetings this season (115-105, 108-90 and 140-111). The teams meet again on Tuesday.
LeBron James THIS SEASON:
30.0 PPG
8.2 RPG
6.3 APG
1.3 SPG
1.1 BPG
52.3% FG
Averaging 30 and leading the league in scoring at the age of 37 👑 https://t.co/kLnDAJL8VC
James, on the other hand, is having an extraordinary season. If he successfully wins the scoring title, it will be the second time in his 19-year career, the first since 2008.