LeBron James Struggling With Age or Just Adjusting?

LeBron James remarkable longevity and historic 20th consecutive All-NBA selection last season might have set the bar impossibly high, even for the King. Still, his recent struggles have sparked conversation about whether Father Time is finally catching up.

The agist chatter hit a peak after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 109-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. James had one of the worst performances of his career, scoring just 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting, including 0-for-4 from three-point range. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and six turnovers. It wasn’t until a late-game free throw that James extended his streak of scoring at least 10 points to an NBA-record 1,243 games, a run that dates back to January 2007.

When it comes to the NBA peanut gallery, Kendrick Perkins summed up the situation with a nostalgic analogy. “A car running perfectly can fall apart after it hits 100k miles. Age 40 might be his 100K. I mean, at least that’s what my grandfather told me when his Oldsmobile stopped running,” Perkins wrote on social media.

Now get this, it is valid that James is in a shooting slump. Over his last six games, he’s made just 43 of 108 field-goal attempts, including a shocking 3-for-30 from beyond the arc. He’s missed 19 consecutive three-pointers over the past four games and is averaging 16.8 points during this stretch. “It’s the rhythm. I just feel off rhythm the last few, three or four games,” James admitted to reporters.

But it’s not just LeBron— the Lakers as a whole are struggling. In their last six games, they’ve gone 2-4 with a dismal offensive rating of 102.4 points per 100 possessions. That’s barely better than the rebuilding Washington Wizards.

But LeBron out is averaging 22 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game this season—numbers matched only by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. And let’s not forget, just four months ago, James led Team USA to gold at the Paris Olympics, earning MVP honors in the process. This season alone, he’s racked up 12 double-doubles and six triple-doubles, even setting the record as the oldest player in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double.

And before you hit the panic button, LeBron’s skills haven’t disappeared—they’re just being put to the test by a grueling schedule and the realities of age. Perkins’ analogy about old cars might be outdated, though. Modern cars run well past 100,000 miles with a little maintenance. The same could apply to James, who may benefit from the occasional game off to keep himself in peak form.

What’s more, LeBron has expressed a desire to play all 82 games this season, and so far, he’s suited up for all 21. But his dominant Olympic showing came under a schedule that didn’t include back-to-backs or multiple games every other day. Lakers coach JJ Redick and the team might need to reconsider their approach to maximize what James can still bring to the court.

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