Is LeBron Slowing Down?

With his recent move to the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James joined talented young players like Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram; and they were instantly hyped as being one of the best teams in the NBA with a strong chance of winning the NBA Championship. However, now 10 games into the NBA season, the Lakers have 4 wins and 6 losses—placing them 12th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference.

With the poor start to the new team, all fingers are pointing to the Lakers generational player, LeBron James, and asking, “Is LeBron James slowing down?”

Marco L. an avid NBA fan, says that “you can’t blame LeBron. LeBron is LeBron and he is always having a monster game. The Lakers are losing because of the other people on their team like Lonzo Ball are not playing at a high level.” LeBron is currently averaging 27 points, 7.7 assists, and 7.6 rebounds this season, making him the 8th highest scorer and having the 7th highest assists per game in the entire NBA. Even with these stats, the Lakers are not winning games and are currently sitting at 12th place in the Western Conference.

However, David S. who has been watching the NBA since 5th grade, says that “it’s still early in the season, and he needs time to bond with his new teammates.” Basketball is a sport that requires a lot of team chemistry to find success, and being on a new team without a lot of chemistry could be the reason to the Lakers slow start. David S. adds that “as long as LeBron doesn’t get seriously injured, the Lakers should make it deep into the playoffs.” Jacky L. also states that “unlike the Cavs (LeBron’s old team), the Lakers have other solid players that could take some of the load off of LeBron’s shoulders.” The young core of Ingram, Kuzma, and Ball have really improved since last season and are showing signs of All-star potential.

The Lakers are off to a shaky start and all fingers are pointing towards LeBron. People are all wondering whether or not this is LeBron’s last shot at an NBA Championship as he is getting old and slowing down. However, LeBron is still putting up a ridiculous amount of points each game and still looks like the dominant force that he is known as. Although his stats don’t show it, LeBron could be slowing down and his retirement could come before we know it. However, no one will know until we actually see LeBron physically slowing down and not playing like his usual self.