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This season has been tough on the LA Lakers, and more so LeBron James. In his 19th season, he is tied for second for the NBA scoring title, and NBA insider Brian Windhorst thinks James will go for it.
Joel Embiid leads the league with 29.9 points per game, with James and Giannis Antetokounmpo right on his tail tied at 29.7. A big part of James’ case to win the scoring title is that he has averaged 32.8 points in the last 10 games, with two 50-point performances. However, the Lakers are 2-8 in those games.
On ESPN’s “Sports Nation,” Windhorst said be believed James would win the scoring title:
“It's probably the only thing LeBron is really playing for at this point. I would probably have to go with LeBron. You know, last night is a good example. They are playing on the second night of a back-to-back in a game that was pretty much over after the first quarter, and LeBron had a sore knee.
"It was questionable, yet he still played 40 minutes in this game, was still out there getting buckets in the fourth quarter when it was a double-digit game.”
James has not called it a season, with the Lakers (29-39) ninth in the Western Conference. Many NBA media members said shutting down James might happen. Even though the season is pretty much over from a team perspective, James is still playing for his second scoring title and to move up the all-time scoring list.
Why is LeBron James still putting up numbers?
The Lakers likely will not be winning the NBA Finals this season. The roster is not good enough. It has taken LeBron James scoring 50 points twice for the Lakers to win two of their 10 games since the All-Star break.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst brought up the fact that James is trying to win just his second scoring title. James is one of the best basketball players ever, but surprisingly he only has one NBA scoring title.
James might be the best overall player in NBA history, pretty much doing it all. All the other things he does as a passer, defender and leader have led him to his four MVPs, despite that one scoring title. His legacy does not need much more cementing, but it would be another accomplishment to his name.
Another reason is that James is looking to retire as the all-time scoring leader. James sits third behind Karl Malone with 36,928 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387. James is only 74 points behind Malone, which means if James plays to his average, he will reach that number within the next three games.
James is still giving it his all in every game, but that is not leading to winning, just stat padding.
Guess the Lakers players!
