Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James missed the first 14 games of the season with sciatica on his right side, the first time in his legendary career that he missed opening night.
James made his season debut against the Utah Jazz on November 18 and played in four straight games before resting against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 30. The Lakers went 4-0 with James in the lineup, and the leading scorer in NBA history played well, averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game.
James returned to the Lakers’ lineup on December 1 against the Phoenix Suns and had a rough outing against Dillon Brooks. The four-time MVP had just 10 points while shooting 3-of-10 from the field, as Los Angeles got blown out at home, 125-108.
Three days later against the Toronto Raptors, James’ historic 10-point streak was snapped. The four-time Finals MVP finished with only eight points on 4-of-17 shooting. He made up for his poor shooting and scoring night by dishing out 11 assists, including the game-winning dime to Rui Hachimura, but many people around the NBA confidently stated that James was finally “washed.”
However, in 15 games since his eight-point outing against the Raptors, James has reminded everyone that he’s not even close to being “washed.” The Akron native is averaging 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, and since his 41st birthday (12/30), James is putting up 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.
James has played so well since his putrid game against the Raptors that an NBA scout recently told Lakers Daily that he was wrong about the four-time champion’s demise.
“I thought he was done after the Suns and Raptors games,” the NBA scout said. “He looked so bad on both ends of the floor. I was like, ‘Yeah, Father Time finallly got LeBron. It’s about time.’
“And then ever since that Raptors game, he has looked unbelievable. He looks like a top-10 player in the league again. It’s incredible. We will never see a player be this good for so long ever again. It’s too bad he’s on the Lakers because those fans will never truly appreciate the greatness they are seeing because they are loyal to Kobe [Bryant], which is stupid because Kobe loved LeBron.
“But yeah, I was totally wrong about LeBron being washed. I can’t believe what I’m watching.”
On the season, James is averaging 22.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. The future Hall of Famer, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason for the first time since 2018, hasn’t announced if he’s going to retire after this season.
The Lakers are 24-14. They are in fifth place in the West.
The Purple and Gold are 13-8 when James plays.