There’s nothing worse than seeing such potential go to waste. This season the Lakers have struggled heavily to keep their heads above water despite the high level of play from LeBron James.
Anthony Davis seemed to find his stride before going down with his injury, but James continues to step into the leadership role for this team. A similar outcome came during Dirk Nowitzki’s career as he climbed up the NBA ranks and became his own legend.
Nowitzki did it all, except win an NBA championship but with time running out they managed to reach the pinnacle of success (via Howard Beck, Sports Illustrated).
“You’ve done everything that you wanted to do on an individual basis—All-Star games and accolades, All-NBA teams—but all you want to really do down the stretch is win,” Nowitzki says. “Win as much as you can, compete at the highest level. And so those were tough times.”
While Nowitzki ended up winning his championship, it also cannot be understated how much of a decline he ended up taking at the end of his career. Something that James seems to have no intention of reaching anytime soon.
On the season, James is averaging 27.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists. Numbers like this on any championship aspiring team usually means the team is at least in the playoff picture. The Lakers currently sit 13th in the west.
When will something click for the front office and not have the Lakers waste another amazing year from James? The greatness of James can’t be understated, but eventually all good things come to an end even if it means James will break all the records when it’s all said and done.
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