It has not been smooth sailing for the Los Angeles Lakers star-studded team, and LeBron James has given an insight into how challenging it is for him. He has had to sit out several games due to injury, and also got ejected from a game for only the second time in his 19-year career.
The Lakers hosted the Detroit Pistons, the same team responsible for LeBron’s second career ejection, and while it was a clean game, it was another close victory for the team. Speaking postgame, LeBron commented on how much of a challenge this season has been so far. When asked how it ranks compared to other seasons, he had this to say (starts at 3:35):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3KjNytqh0g
“It ranks right at the top of any other challenge I’ve had in my career, which actually brings out the best in me and I love that. I love trying to learn to continue to get better and better, continue to learn each other more and more. Continue to work on our system offensively and defensively.”
The challenge is clear as day, as the Lakers are 11-11 so far this season. And in 22 games played, LeBron has only featured in 11, mainly due to injuries.
Scoring wise, LeBron is delivering the goods. He has had three consecutive 30+ games but only two ended in victories. The major challenge for the four-time NBA champ is organizing his team to go on a winning run.
The Lakers have not crossed into the top six in the Western Conference standings since the start of the season. They currently sit eighth and are eight games behind the top-seeded Golden State Warriors.
Physically, LeBron James has also been through an ordeal early this season. The Lakers have played the most overtime games (5), which will take a toll on their older lineup. Although LeBron has only featured in two overtime games, he has had to play a lot more minutes because every Lakers game has gone to the wire.
There is a chance that LeBron might have re-aggravated his abdominal injury, given how many minutes he has played in the last three games. But King James has said he is fine. So far this season, he is averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field.
