The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of yet another disastrous season. With the team going 2-10 to start the 2022-2023 season & Anthony Davis missing multiple weeks with injuries, Darvin Ham’s boys are one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. However, the California-based franchise shocked everyone with its recent 5-game win streak.
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While most of the Lakers stuck to their respective roles and did a phenomenal job at it, LeBron James specifically had a massive contribution to the team’s first 5-game win streak since the end of the 2020-2021 campaign.
Also Read: Skip Bayless Mocks Lakers Star for Missing Game With Ankle Soreness
After stuffing the stat sheet in multiple games this past week, LBJ was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for Week #12.
LeBron James just got named Player of the Week for the 66th time in his career
The most by any player in NBA history
— Masked 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) January 9, 2023
Shannon Sharpe defends LeBron James for sitting out against the Nuggets
Post turning 38, Bron went on this marvelous scoring rampage. After dropping a 47-point, 10-rebound, and 9-assist near triple-double in LAL’s win over Atlanta, the King went on to record 35/8.7/7.7 while leading the Purple & Gold to a 3-0 record.
After a pretty tiring week, the 4-time champ was ruled out for the contest against the #1 Denver Nuggets. Listed out with a “left ankle soreness”, Bron was unavailable as the 2020 champs would go on to suffer a 122-109 loss.
While Skip Bayless attacked the 18-time All-Star for “resting” against the reigning MVP, Shannon Sharpe defended him. The former NFL star stated that the 6-foot-9 forward deserved a day off after a week like he just had. Sharpe further said:
“No big deal at all. Ankle Soreness. Thing is, they’re going to air this out of caution but he gets extra 2-3 days of rest. He played Saturday night, so he had Sunday off, Monday off, Tuesday off, Wednesday off, he will play again against the Mavericks on Thursday.
Did you know he was Player of the Week?! Averaged 35, 9, and 8 & for the season he’s averaging 29, 8, and 7. No big deal whatsoever, let the man rest. Did you see what he did on this weekend?! You see what he did to the Hawks? You see what he did to the Kings?”
The Lakers 5-game win streak ends as LeBron sits out due to ankle soreness:
“It’s no big deal. They’re going to be cautious and give him 2-3 days of extra rest. You saw what he did against Atlanta, Sacramento. Let the man rest!” — @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/HP3b8N3hqo
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 10, 2023
LeBron’s performance in Year 20
The past week proved that there is no way to slow down LeBron. Even the infamous father time has been failing to do so. At 38, Bron is still playing significantly better than many superstars in their 20s.
Having played 31 games in his 20th NBA campaign, the future Hall-Of-Famer has been putting up a staggering 29.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game.
Things seem bad with the Lakers placed 12th in the stacked West. However, the LA-based team is merely 1.5 games behind the 6th seed. With the 4-time MVP performing at such an elite level, there is no way that the Los Angeles Lakers are ruled out from trying their hand to win the 2023 title.
Also Read: Despite Being LeBron James’ Son, Bronny James Has An Entirely Different NBA Comparison
