LeBron isn’t getting any younger these days. At 35 years old going on 36, he may sit out the start of next season according to Danny Green.
Advertisement
Father Time is undefeated in sports history. Having played through 17 elite seasons, there is no reason to start doubting LeBron James just yet. However, it becomes more and more difficult to deal with the travel, wear and tear of a regular season with advancing age.
Even without LeBron playing, the Lakers will have Anthony Davis within their ranks, who’s an MVP candidate in his own right. If Rondo is directing the offense, there is little doubt that they can get off to a good start even without James playing.
Why Danny Green believes LeBron James might rest during the start of the new season
LeBron has made 10 Finals runs through the course of his career. 9 of those have come in the last 10 seasons. The only time James hasn’t played on that stage in the last decade was last year, when he sat out many games with a groin injury.
Appearing on The Ringer NBA show, Danny Green speculated that James is going to take a step back next year and focus on his health. Danny Green thinks LeBron would sit out the first month of the season if the NBA started in December:
“He’s been in The Finals 10 out of 17 years,… it’s draining to do that, and to have that quick of a restart, I wouldn’t expect to see him.”
James has played over 1500 games including the regular season and the playoffs. Barring Karl Malone and John Stockton, nobody has displayed this kind of longevity at an elite level. James has stated in the past that he wishes to chase down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s points record.
It would take at least 2 more full seasons of him averaging over 28 points a game to bridge the gap between him and Kareem. But given that he could take a step back from scoring, it will likely take him 3 more seasons.
