LeBron James has proven to be a freak of nature in recent years, even at his age. It just looks like Father Time isn’t catching up to him any time soon, and the 4-time champ is still leading his team in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a massive blow when they lost both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in the span of 24 hours. The news came after the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where the Lakers’ two main guards suffered potentially season-ending injuries.
Since then, it has been ‘King James’ who has been at the wheel, leading the Lakers into the postseason this year. And he has even led them to two sensational wins against the Houston Rockets so far, something that wouldn’t have seemed possible initially.
James has shattered every critic’s prediction so far, including one from reputed NBA analysts Brian Windhorst, and his ESPN team.
Brian Windhorst Sheds Light On ESPN Meeting About LeBron James
During a recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Windhorst spoke about a meeting that he had with his ESPN bosses regarding the 41-year-old.
He said, “I had a meeting with my bosses and I go, you know, ‘We may need to start our content planning for him retiring, because he looks for the first time, like an old man who can’t compete.’ And he looked like that because he couldn’t really work out all summer. He had no training camp. And as the season went along, he got himself into better condition.”
“And by the time the spring came, when they really needed him, he was in great shape. Whatever he does in between these games to keep his back healthy and get himself into actual physical condition has been great,” Windhorst added.
The analyst also praised how James adapted to the Lakers’ new system and let Dončić and Reaves take the reigns. He said, “Secondly, midway through this year, he took a step backwards or sideways, whatever you want to say, so that it could work better with Austin Reeves and Luka Dončić.”
James also earned Windhorst’s praise on how he managed to become his old self once again and take over the ball when the Lakers lost their two scoring options. James was the third option behind them before tragedy struck.
Windhorst also praised James’ season has been remarkable to watch so far. The 22-time All-Star has been performing for the Lakers in the playoffs so far, almost as if he instantly turned the switch on after Dončić and Reaves’ injuries.
It is quite interesting that the ESPN team decided to have a meeting about James, assuming that he may slow down further. In their defense, the NBA legend didn’t have the best of starts to the season. He missed 22 games due to sciatica and other foot-related injuries.
Despite this, James has managed to bounce back and put up a decent average of 20.9 points per game. James has never averaged less than 20 in his entire career, and it’s even more impressive considering his injury troubles and, more importantly, his age.
James was pivotal in the Lakers’ two wins against Houston so far. He put up 19 points and 13 assists in Game 1, and 28 points in the second outing. Even if the Lakers fail after this point this postseason, it would be safe to conclude that James has exceeded expectations with the depleted roster he has had to lead.
