LeBron James, the warrior of the Lakers, has a duty to make his team win. He continued his legacy since the inception of his career. Now, he becomes frustrated with his recent performance.
On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were short-handed, making it a particularly trying time to play the Miami Heat in the second game of a road back-to-back. Their 26 turnovers helped lead to a 22-point deficit, and the Lakers ultimately lost 112-98. This was the Lakers’ fifth loss in their last six games.
LeBron James committed six of those mistakes but still did his best, finishing with 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. However, the Lakers lack sufficient potential without Anthony Davis and drop to 14-21 on the season.
LeBron James: "I don't want to finish my career playing at this level, from a team aspect. I still want to compete for championships because I know what I can still bring to any ball club with the right pieces." pic.twitter.com/o3Y2HZCC6I
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) December 29, 2022
The Lakers are now three games short of the last play-in slot, and it is becoming more likely that they will not make the playoffs for the third time in five seasons since James’ arrival in Los Angeles in 2018.
James has questioned some big picture queries about what’s happening on in his head these days and how far he intends to play, with the Lakers floundering and his 38th birthday just two days away on December 30.
“I think about how much longer I’m gonna play the game,” James stated. “I think about how I don’t want to finish my career playing at this level, from a team aspect. I want to still be able to compete for championships because I know what I can bring to any ball club with the right pieces. I think about my son graduating high school soon and going off to college and I’m still playing and my youngest son will be a junior next year and how much more time I’ll miss.”
In the summer, James and the Lakers came to terms on a two-year, $97.1 million agreement that incorporates a player option for the 2024-25 season. Through this contract, he is now on a similar timeframe as Davis, who may also choose to depart the team in the summer of 2024.
