At 37-years-old, LeBron James is having an amazing season. Through 36 games, the Akron-born superstar is averaging 29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game on 52.2% shooting.
Unfortunately, Bron is also enduring another injury — this time to his knee. And even as the Lakers do their best to quell concerns, not everyone is convinced that there is nothing to worry about.
“This [injury] is a big deal because of age,” said Chris Broussard on First Things First. “This is Father Time knocking on LeBron’s door and that’s all this is. The issue is, it just seems like nowadays with LeBron, because of his age, that if it’s no one injury it’s another. In three of the three and a half seasons that he has played with the Lakers, he’s had a season-altering injury. Even though the Lakers are saying it’s not that big of a deal, we’ve heard this before. It’s just unfortunate but this is age and if he comes back I’m going to be waiting for something else to happen.”
Throughout his career, LeBron managed to avoid missing games, only missing a few every season. But since arriving in L.A., James has been noticeably less durable. He played 55 games in the 2018-19 season, 67 games during the COVID-plagued campaign, and then 45 games during the 2021-22 season.
The era of invincibility has seemingly ended for LeBron James, which is bad news for a Lakers team that desperately needs him on the floor.
“Everyday [LeBron] is out, we sink,” said one Lakers staffer.
At 24-27 on the season, the Lakers are obviously not where they want to be as a team. Russell Westbrook’s fit has been questionable while Anthony Davis continues to look for his groove amid his return.
It’s up to the King to get the squad back on track and put his team in a position to win. If Broussard is right, his body might not even allow him to carry such a load.
Then again, has it ever been wise to bet against LeBron James?
