LeBron James and another step closer to the end.
It wasn’t the title defense that the Los Angeles Lakers were hoping for. Losing in the first round of the playoffs after winning an NBA Championship never is. A big reason why their title defense ended in disappointment is the fact that LeBron James (and Anthony Davis) never seemed right in the postseason.
At least not on a consistent enough basis.
And as the Lakers pick up the pieces of what was somewhat of an underwhelming season, you can’t help but wonder what had more of an impact for LeBron late in the season – if it was more his injury or father time?
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Was it father time or injury for LeBron James?
On paper, LeBron had another great season. During the regular season, he averaged 25 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on 51 percent shooting from the field. Though, in the postseason, LeBron clearly wasn’t 100 percent.
LeBron suffered a bad ankle injury in March and never seemed like himself since he returned from the injury late in the regular season.
In the postseason specifically, LeBron posted a career-low scoring output and was eliminated for the first time in his playoff career in the first round. LeBron may have averaged 23 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in the postseason, but was far from his dominant self.
And without AD on the floor in Game 5 and Game 6, the Lakers had no shot at beating the Phoenix Suns. And they didn’t. The big question that the Lakers have to ask themselves heading into the offseason is whether LeBron was not 100 percent, or didn’t look like his normal self, because of injury or father time.
LeBron is 36 years old and likely has already played his best basketball but does some rethinking have to done this summer if we’re beginning to see the end of LeBron’s dominance?
The interesting part is that it could very well be both father time and injury. Part of aging is their inability to recover from injury as fast as one used to. Even more so when it comes to lower leg injuries, which is exactly what LeBron was battling.
Either way, it’s not good for the Lakers’ future. This current run that Los Angeles had been on the past two seasons always hinged on LeBron and his ability to continue to play at a high level. Davis has had injury concerns in the past and his body simply broke down after essentially played 100 games with roughly only two months of break.
LeBron’s injury was at an extremely unfortunate time and he didn’t have enough recovery time to get right. Maybe that’s all this was this season for the Lakers.
Maybe LeBron and AD are fully healthy next season and the Lakers run through the West once again en route to another championship. Maybe they do, but you can’t help but feel a little uneasy with what we saw from LeBron late in the season.
It’s not a version of LeBron that we’ve ever seen at any point in his career but is a stern reminder that father time, if it’s not calling for him yet, is on the horizon. And it’s undefeated.