LeBron James has been dominating Father Time for nearly half a decade. He put up numbers and dropped performances that a player who has been around as long as he had didn’t quite make sense. It seemed only a lack of interest would prompt him to leave the sport. However, the dreaded decline has finally arrived. The forward hasn’t looked like his potent self this season and Matt Barnes believes it’s a sign of things to come.
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James returned to action last Sunday in the Lakers’ 116-110 win over the Grizzlies after a two-game hiatus. The 39-year-old scored 18 points, reeled eight rebounds, and dished eight assists. However, he did have five turnovers. It wasn’t a vintage LeBron performance and on the All The Smoke podcast, Barnes suggested it’s best not to expect masterful display on a nightly basis from the forward anymore. He said,
“Mother Nature just eventually starts to take over, and we see it with all of our great heroes and players. They slowly start to get old, and we’re seeing Bron do stuff we’ve never seen.”
While Barnes believes Father Time has finally caught up, he’s confident James still has a few otherworldly performances left in him. He added,
“Although there was a bunch of hate before, he’s always been able to shut that sh*t up with great play, and I know he still has more left in the tank. We’re gonna see a lot of spectacular-ness from Bron this season.”
As fascinating as it is to see the four-time MVP have stellar outings in his 22nd season, it doesn’t seem likely he’d add a fifth championship win to his stacked resume.
LeBron and the Lakers’ title aspirations are shot
Since James’ second season with the Lakers, their fortunes have hinged on him and Anthony Davis carrying the team on their shoulders. However, with the forward declining and the rest of the roster outside of Davis not particularly talented, All The Smoke podcast recurring guest Gene Davis suggested it was time for the team to abandon their title hopes. He said,
“I think it’s about time for us to start bringing out the rocking chair for LeBron. Are we really going to win a championship this year or next year? It’s not looking too good for us for that, man.”
There have been rumors that the Lakers would be open to trading James to allow him to compete for a championship. However, that looks unlikely. The team seemingly intends to ride the season out with the forward and reevaluate its plans in the offseason.
