KEY POINTS
- LeBron James has indirectly called out the Lakers’ front office for lack of roster moves
- James leads the Lakers in scoring, averaging 29.1 points per game
- The Lakers holds the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference
Since turning 38 years old, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been on an otherworldly tear in terms of scoring.
He put up 47 points on his birthday last December 30th and then followed that up by scoring 43 points, 25 points, and 37 points to help lead the Lakers to a five-game winning streak that came to an end on Tuesday, January 10 at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
Perhaps even more impressive is that, earlier this season, James went on a seven-game stretch that saw him score 30 or more points.
James is currently averaging 29.1 points per game–good for seventh in the league–which is quite a feat, considering that he’s playing in his 20th season in the league.
There is no doubt as to the caliber of player James is. He’s a four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA MVP, four-time NBA Finals MVP, and an 18-time NBA All-Star.
But as great as he is, at this point in his career, it’s pretty clear that he can’t do it alone–at least, not anymore.
Even if James is registering nearly 30 points a night, the Lakers are still floundering near the bottom of the Western Conference with a 19-22 record.
It also doesn’t help that James’ running mate, Anthony Davis, has been in street clothes nearly in nearly half of the games this season.
Simply put, “King James” needs some help, and he himself has made echoed this statement, albeit indirectly.
In an interview with The Athletic following the Lakers’ January 7th win over the Sacramento Kings, James seemingly slammed the team’s front office for their hesitance to make some much-needed moves as the trade deadline approaches.
“Y’all know what the [expletive] should be happening, I don’t need to talk,” he said.
For reference, the Lakers are owners of future first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, both trade pieces that could actually be used to bring in some much-needed assistance on the floor.
While the rest of the interview further hints at James being unhappy with the Lakers’ approach with regard to the future first-round picks, he went on to clarify his statements on social media.
Responding to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, who conducted the interview and penned the succeeding article, James insisted that his patience isn’t wearing thin.
“Hey, Sam, actually my patience isn’t waning. You make it sound like I’m frustrated when I’m really not. I told you over and over, my job is focused on the guys in the locker room, my job isn’t the roster. That’s the reality of that conversation,” James said.
As it stands, the Lakers’ “Big Three” consist of James, an oft-injured Davis, and a former-Most Valuable Player in Russell Westbrook, who has been relegated to the team’s sixth man.
Davis, when on the floor, is morning a solid 27.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Westbrook is the team’s third-leading scorer with per-game counts of 15.1 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds and a team-high 7.9 assists.
The rest of the roster features a solid, but they are composed of a usually-inconsistent cast of characters in Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant, Denis Schroder and Austin Reaves.
With the February 9 trade deadline fast approaching, James—as well as Lakers fans all over the world—are in wait-and-see mode if the Lakers management does decide to pull the trigger and bring in some help.