“It’s distracted most people from that indelible stain on his legacy” - Skip Bayless says Lakers missing the playoffs will outweigh LeBron James winning the scoring title

With only seven games remaining in the season, LA Lakers forward LeBron James has a chance to win the scoring title for the second time in his 19-year career. While fans are counting down what will be another record-breaking event, sports analyst Skip Bayless won't be. He said the scoring title will not be enough to maintain the four-time NBA champ's legacy if he misses the playoffs.

Lakers fans are irate with how their team has played. It is evident that the Lakers (45-31 entering Thursday's game at the Utah Jazz) stand no chance of making a deep playoff run. But perhaps their captain winning the scoring title might console them.

TV personality David Jacoby believes the Lakers might focus on individual goals and might rally around James to make sure he wins the scoring title.

Bayless recently refuted claims that James' poor run with the Lakers is at the same level as Michael Jordan's final two years in the NBA with the Washington Wizards. On "The Skip Bayless Show" presented by Fox Sports, Bayless discussed LeBron's standing in the all-time rankings after the Lakers' disappointing season.

"I'm not gonna demote LeBron on my list," Bayless said. "He still ranks ninth. But I will say this: What has happened to his Los Angeles Lakers this season has indelibly stained LeBron's legacy."

After ripping into James for the Lakers' poor run and inability to close games, he continued:

"The genius of LeBron is that, as the ancient Greek philosophers always said, you have to know thyself. Well, nobody knows thyself better than LeBron does, and he knew at 37 and Year 19, he's no longer capable of carrying a team, of lifting a team.

"There's no more contagious factor. So, at the All-Star break, he says, 'You know what I gotta do? I gotta do what I gotta do. I gotta go magician. I got to go sleight of hand. I got to distract the audience from the glaringly obvious: We are going to miss the playoffs. To do so, I'll go win the scoring title in year 19.'

"Now, all I hear is scoring title, and it's distracted most people from that indelible stain on his legacy. I'm sorry, Bron, but missing the playoffs is going to outweigh the scoring title."

It is ironic to see a team that was put together to be a championship contender might not even make the playoffs. The Lakers' experiment to field one of the oldest rosters in league history failed woefull. One could argue that the game has evolved beyond experience only.

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LeBron James has made 15 playoff appearances in his career

LeBron James, left, and Russell Westbrook of the LA Lakers

LeBron James has missed the playoffs only three times since joining the NBA: twice in his first two seasons and once in his first year with the Lakers (2018-19). For the first time in his career, James was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Numbers like that go to show how dominant James has been throughout his career. The four-time Finals MVP has reached the Finals 10 times but has managed only four victories.

Missing the playoffs would undoubtedly be an embarrassment for this Lakers team, who were considered one of the favorites to win the title. They are likely to miss the play-in tournament given the difficulty of their schedule for the remainder of the season. As it is, they are clinging to 10th place and the last play-in spot. They'd then have to win two play-in games to reach the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

Regardless of how things turn out for the Lakers, a scoring title this late in James' career will be an unforgettable moment in NBA history. However, he needs to first figure out a way to play in at least three games while nursing an ankle injury.