Getty LeBron James with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Hopes weren’t high for the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the season and they certainly haven’t exceeded expectations with a 2-7 record. However, the reason the team is playing poorly isn’t due to Russell Westbrook as many expected. Since getting moved to the bench, the former MVP has arguably been the team’s best player.
The problem is that LeBron James looks like a shell of himself. His jumper has been broken this season as he’s only making 21% of his threes. He’s also only making 44.7% of his field goal attempts, which would be his lowest mark since his rookie year. LeBron has been banged up to start the season and recently dealt with an illness. If he can’t get back on track, the Lakers are in serious trouble.
Former Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played three seasons with LeBron and won a championship together. He knows the future Hall of Famer well as they are both Klutch Sports clients. He shared some eye-opening comments about LeBron.
“Just watching the games, it just looks like there’s no basketball over there,” Caldwell-Pope told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “It’s just playing pickup. It’s hard to watch sometimes. So from me to him, just get the team together, and I just want to see that spark in him again. I don’t think I see that spark in Bron. So, hopefully, he can get it back.”
Having “that spark” has never been an issue for LeBron in the past but he’s going to be 38 next month. Perhaps he’s finally realizing that there is a life for him to live away from the basketball court.
LeBron Rule out for Jazz Matchup
If LeBron is going to turn things around, it’s not going to happen in the upcoming matchup against the Utah Jazz. The Lakers announced that he’ll be sitting out of the game due to left knee soreness. Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker will also not be playing.
It’s concerning that LeBron is sitting out a game but it might be what’s best. He should fully recover and then work on turning his season around. He was still one of the best players in the league last season and there’s no reason to believe he fell off this much in one year.
LeBron Doesn’t Look Like ‘a Main Option,’ per Exec
Father Time catching up with LeBron right now would be a disaster for the Lakers. It wouldn’t be such a big problem if Anthony Davis was still a superstar but it’s looking like the big man is just a really good NBA player and not much more. One NBA executive believes that LeBron can’t be the best player on a team in his current state.
“LeBron doesn’t even look like a main option right now,” an executive told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “Neither does [Anthony Davis].”
The Lakers mortgaged their future to help LeBron win championships and he did bring home one trophy. Was that enough? Time will tell, but if the Lakers are bad for the next decade, it’s hard to imagine it was worth it.
“The Lakers have a ton of holes. They lack playmaking, shooting and perimeter defense,” an executive said. “Once stars get old, you need young, athletic shooters who defend and bring a jolt of energy.”