After a win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, LeBron James opened up on his health and conditioning. The 40-year-old star is fresh off a return to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers but he says last night’s game was the strongest he’s felt in weeks.
“That was the best I felt before the injury for sure,” James said after the game (Lakers Nation). “I just tried to press, get downhill, my rhythm, as far as my jump shot felt pretty good today, I was shooting from the free throw line extremely well, and I’m a bit late, but it’s probably the best physically I felt. So hopefully, I can build off of that.”
LeBron James is still trying to recover from the groin injury that caused him to miss seven games this season. The injury happened back in March against the Celtics, when he had to leave mid-way through the fourth quarter.
The Lakers were in rough shape without their leading voice and everyone saw how vulnerable they became on both ends of the floor. The good news is, LeBron has been back with the Lakers for a while now but his play has been wildly inconsistent.
Against the Indiana Pacers last Wednesday, James finished with just 13 points on 33% shooting. In the game against the Pelicans yesterday, he was arguably the best player on the court with 27 points, eight assists, and two steals on 52.9% shooting.
While Luka Doncic is the future of the Lakers, LeBron James is the one who holds this team together. With him at the helm, Doncic’s transition has been almost seamless and the Lakers are prospering with the fourth-best record in the West. If they want any hope of getting to the Conference Finals, they’ll need their entire big three to be healthy, including LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves.
Fortunately, it seems that the worst of it is already over for the King. At 40 years old, the Lakers have made it a point to be cautious with his health and they only let him back on the court when he was ready. Now that he’s had some time to shake off the rust, James will be at his peak for the upcoming playoffs.
In 66 games this season, LeBron is averaging 24.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game on 51.2% shooting. He’s been a steady hand for the franchise since his arrival and he’s going to spend the next few weeks preparing for the battles to come.
In the first round, the Lakers would face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have won four straight games and are winners of seven in their last 10. Things only get harder after that, with the Nuggets, Thunder, and the red-hot Golden State Warriors standing in the way.
LeBron and the Lakers are confident in their chances of success this year but there is no room for error. At this point, any injury or mistake can cost the Lakers their season and they need to be whole going into the first round.
