Veteran Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James looked like he was out of gas in the closing stages of his team’s 99-93 Game 5 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
With Game 6 scheduled in less than 48 hours, followed by a possible Game 7 on Sunday, should the Lakers possibly make the drastic call of resting James on Friday?
Hall of Famer Charles Barkley sounded the alarm bells about the 41-year-old James playing through a lot of fatigue after Wednesday’s loss.
“LeBron is wearing down,” Barkley told “Inside the NBA” on ESPN.
“I saw all these idiots and fools on television say, ‘Man, LeBron is playing great for a 41-year-old.’ Let me tell you, he played great in Games 1 and 2.
“When you get older, the longer the series goes, his efficiency is coming down,” Barkley said of James.
“And what that’s doing is, it’s affecting Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart — because they’re not getting wide open shots anymore.”
LeBron James Struggles With Efficiency
Further to Barkley’s point, James has shot 41% from the field and 22% from three over his last three games, while committing an alarming 6.0 turnovers per game. He shot 49% from the field and 43% from three in the first two wins with a +8.5 net rating.
James’ struggles have not boded well for his teammates, as Barkley noted. Kennard and Smart, who were key to the Lakers taking a 3-0 series lead, have struggled over the last two games. In the first two games, they averaged a combined 45.0 points, 10.0 assists and 7.0 made threes at a really efficient clip. Over the last two losses, those numbers have shrunk to a combined 20.1 points, 9.0 assists and 2.1 made threes.
“Their numbers are coming down, too,” Barkley said of Kennard and Smart.
Should Lakers Tank Game 6?
Should the Lakers make the bold call of resting James in Game 6? Doing so would ensure James gets three days of rest before an inevitable Game 7 on Sunday.
It’s worth highlighting that James has performed better with more rest in the ongoing playoffs. He has tallied 27.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists with two or more days of rest and only 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists with a day’s rest (Game 4).
JJ Redick’s team will have to expend too much energy to try and close out the Rockets on Saturday, only to return home for a gruelling Game 7 48 hours later.
The Rockets also have the advantage of youth, and they know it. After staving off elimination on Wednesday, All-Star big man Alperen Sengun said “nobody is tired” on his team, as he appeared to mock the aging Lakers.
“Everybody is feeling amazing,” Sengun said.
“Nobody is tired. Today everybody showed it. Now, we go out in front of our family and friends [in Game 6], take care of business and come back here for Game 7.”
The Lakers are in their current predicament due to the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — their two leading scorers in the regular season. While Reaves returned from an oblique injury in Game 5, Doncic has been ruled out for the rest of the series.
Lakers Face Tough LeBron James Decision Before Game 6 vs Rockets