LeBron James for the longest time, has been a cheat code in the NBA. Having the King on your roster was an automatic Finals berth for the majority of the 2010s, his dominance could not be disputed. Even as a young player, James carried a terrible Cleveland Cavaliers team to the Finals, all on the back of his incredible all-around gameplay.
And while Bron had one of his best scoring seasons individually in 2021-22, team success eluded the Los Angeles Lakers once again. That is now twice in the 4 years with LeBron on the team that the Lakers have missed the playoffs entirely. Considering that having James meant a deep run for the longest time, this has been an odd thing for fans of the Lakers to come to terms with.
There are still those that believe James will be able to carry the team to the promised land again next season, but Chris Broussard is not one of the people that fully believe this. Speaking on The Odd Couple podcast, Broussard said that LeBron is no longer who he once was, and his mere presence does not make the Lakers contenders for a championship.
“He’s gonna be 38 years old! Nobody is expecting him to lead the Lakers to another championship. If they get Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, they are the favorites in the West? In the hunt, in the mix, but favorites? No!
“Anyone watching knows LeBron is not what he used to be. I know he averaged 30 [points] but LeBron James was not only great for his scoring and his passing, his defense as well. He’s not close to that guy now.”
The Lakers roster has had some holes in it since last season, and so far, only Patrick Beverley has been a major acquisition that can be expected to have a serious impact. That means the team is banking on James to continue being one of the best in the league at his age, which cannot be guaranteed every season. However, LeBron has a habit of proving his doubters wrong, so perhaps this might have just been a very premature take from Broussard.
