Lakers LeBron James reacts with Luka Doncic (77)
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Lakers LeBron James reacts with Luka Doncic (77)
At age 41, Lakers star LeBron James has made it no secret that he won’t be playing in the NBA much longer, despite having managed to continue to be among the most effective players in the league here in his 23rd season. James is averaging 21.7 points, 6.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds this year, which are low relative to the bulk of his career but would be top-tier numbers for most players in the league.
James has been limited by a bout with sciatica this season, which kept him out for the first month of the year and is the reason he’s played only 18 games. He missed Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, which was the second half of a back-to-back, and, as he said, he will be “TBD” in back-to-backs for the rest of the year.
Still, he is rounding into his old form, and in his last three games, James has averaged 29.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists. His injuries woes, and the fact that he is on an expiring contract with the Lakers, have raised the notion of James retiring, though he has not yet addressed the topic.
Rich Paul ‘Hopes’ It’s Not LeBron James’ Last Year
In fact, the Lakers star has not even discussed leaving the game with his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Paul has been doing the “Game Over” podcast with former ESPN host Max Kellerman, and in the most recent addition, Paul said James has not talked about his retirement plans with him.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Do the farewell,’ and it’s his last year and this and that,” Paul said (around the 50-minute mark). “But like, I don’t know what it is but I hope it is not his last year. I hope it’s not his last year, (but) I don’t talk to him about it.”
James has said his goal was to play long enough to share the court with his son, Bronny James, a feat he accomplished last year. Now, he is in Year 2 with Bronny and the novelty of that experience has worn off. James is playing now just because he is still good enough and wants to win.
Lakers Could Give James an Eye-Opening New Role
In fact, Paul said that James could extend his career even longer by settling into a new role, something James hinted at on Tuesday night after the Lakers beat the Pelicans. James said at that point that he–and all the Lakers– needed to “bend” their games to fellow star Luka Doncic.
Paul said James could do that by being a sort-of Karl Malone to Doncic’s John Stockton.
Said Paul: “I am a little jaded. Because I made a comment before, I said that, obviously, the ceiling is who he is, or who he has been for his career. But the floor is Karl Malone. If LeBron just decided to set screens and pop …
“If Deandre Ayton sets a screen, they’re going to blitz Luka and make Deandre Ayton make a decision. If LeBron sets the screen, you pretty much have to switch. Because if you blitz him, now he is short-rolling as the decision-maker.”
And James is a very good midrange shooter, like Malone, who has the smarts and physicality to force opponents into tough decisions. If James’ goal is to keep playing, that could be a pretty fair path for him.