“LeBron James looked shockingly out of shape”: Skip Bayless puts Lakers star on blast for lacklustre performance in season opener

Skip Bayless believes LeBron James was out of shape for his first preseason bout of the 2020-21 NBA season, against the Phoenix Suns.

Though LeBron James has hit the NBA hardwood for merely one game this preseason, the Lakers have been the talk of these preliminary games. This is due to 20 year old Talen Horton Tucker absolutely taking over games for the Lakers, leading them to wins.

LeBron James on the other hand, has been taking it easy this preseason. After all, he is coming off his 10^th run to the NBA Finals. He made his preseason debut against the Phoenix Suns last night, and dropped 11 points while going 4-10 from the field.

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This was obviously not a game where James had to exert himself, as it’s merely a preseason game, however, Skip Bayless doesn’t see it this way.

Skip Bayless says LeBron James didn’t look to be in great condition last night

Skip and Shannon discussed LeBron James and the Lakers’ preseason bout against the Suns. It’s safe to say that Bayless hasn’t switched his stance on being overly critical of LeBron James.

Skip said, “LeBron looked shockingly out of condition to me and I did not see that coming. It’s one thing to play HORSE in the backyard with Bronny. It’s another to play an NBA basketball game, even preseason against the Suns.”

Shannon Sharpe’s rebuttal was, “GOAT James will be ready come Tuesday night. Hang a banner and get a dub.”

Is LeBron James out of shape to start the season?

The Lakers were the last team to leave the NBA Bubble. The toll that has on your body is severely underrated.

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That, coupled with the fact that this is the shortest offseason in the history of the league, it would makes sense that LeBron’s play was a bit lax.

He was slower to get back on defense but at the same time, it’s a preseason game. There is no need to risk getting an injury while going all out for a game that does not count. Especially since the Lakers are title contenders.

It should be noted that, though the 4x MVP did look quite lax on defense, he was as sharp as ever on the offensive end of the floor.