“Father Time is Catching Up”: Kendrick Perkins Defends ’38-Year-Old’ LeBron James Despite Nuggets’ Game 2 Win

The Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 2 to the Denver Nuggets and LeBron James looked a shadow of his former self. The King had a terrible night offensively, prompting much criticism. One claim suggested that “Father Time” finally caught the four-time NBA Champion. But, Kendrick Perkins has rushed to the 38-year-old defense.

On tonight’s episode of ESPN’s Get Up, an esteemed panel of analysts shared their thoughts on tonight’s game. In particular, they touched upon the poor play of King James. A game that had ESPN radio host Alan Hahn wondering if age had finally become a factor.

However, all this did was anger Big Perk, who defended Bron from Hahn’s incredibly hot take. In fact, Perkins believes that James had too much to do tonight and that is why his game suffered.

Kendrick Perkins Defends LeBron James from “Father Time” Criticism

Last night, LeBron James ended up with a stat line of 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. A respectable night for The King, but one that takes a sour turn when you come to the three-point stats. King James was zero of six from the three-point arc!

That, coupled with the fact that he missed quite a few easy layups and dunks led to Alan Hahn claiming that “Father Time” had finally caught up with the 38-year-old. After all, his terrible three-point shooting aside, some of these dunks and layups were points that a prime LeBron would have scored on any given day of the week.

However, in spite of this, former NBA Champion, Kendrick Perkins chose to defend Bron. He brushed aside Hahn’s argument, by claiming that James was just given too much to handle during tonight’s game. And, with D’Angelo Russel and Dennis Schroeder out of form, it was not only his job to run the point, but he was also given the incredibly difficult task of guarding Nikola Jokic.

“You have to really be out your mind if you think last night, LeBron James showed us father time is catching up with him. That was not the case! We have to look at what the Lakers are asking him to do. He’s getting nothing from his point guards. D’Angelo Russell has been a complete no-show. Dennis Schroeder has been a complete no-show. You’re asking LeBron James to run the point forward at 38 years of age. He had to guard Jokic last night. That weighs on you. The guy’s 7’0″, 280 pounds, so you’re asking him to do that. I mean damn! Anybody would be gassed!”

A sound rebuttal from Big Perk, but that doesn’t excuse LeBron’s performance. “Father Time” may not have caught up with him, but The King will have to improve on a lot of fronts with the series now moving back home to LA.

King James will have to improve his three-point shooting if the Lakers are to win this series

The Denver Nuggets have been all over the Los Angeles Lakers in this year’s Western Conference Finals. However, if the Lakers do want to make a comeback, a lot of the onus rests on LeBron James’ shoulders. The King has been terrible from three-point range and his offensive performances in the fourth quarter have left a lot to be desired.

It will certainly be interesting to see just how things progress from Game 3 onwards. Hopefully, LeBron and the rest of the Lakers can step up their game.