“Rest Him Please”: Lakers Fans Urge JJ Redick & Co to Act, as LeBron James Suffers Latest Setback
via Imago
“I don’t know if that’s in the best interest of him and us if he does that,” said JJ Redick after LeBron James struggled with just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting in the Lakers’ 109-80 loss to the Timberwolves. This was after ‘The Chosen One’ had mentioned his goal of playing all 82 games this season. It’s quite unclear if the veteran star’s ambition to play all 82 games this season is realistic.
And it might be time that the 22-season veteran realized it too. The Lakers have released their injury report for the matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. The father-son duo has appeared on the list. First father-son duo to appear on an NBA injury report? Probably.
The report lists the King as questionable with the reason being left foot soreness. Meanwhile, Bronny is questionable because of a left heel contusion. Except for his last outing, LeBron James hasn’t been himself. He went 4 games without making a triple before he broke his embarrassing slump in the Wednesday night blowout against the Heat. He was averaging 22 points per game before the Heat game, marking his lowest scoring average since his rookie year two decades ago.
Laker Nation mandatorily begs 39YO LeBron James to do ONE thing
One user wrote, “Rest HIM please”. At 39 years of age, not resting in the summer for the gruesome NBA season can be a huge mistake. LeBron was giving it his all at the Olympics. And his recent slew of performances make it seem like he really needs time off.
He has been struggling. “Bron rest game was due soon,” commented another user. King James’s individual plus/minus is also a cause for concern, sitting at -6.0. That’s almost triple his previous career low of -2.1 in 2022! For those unfamiliar, individual +/- measures how much a player’s team outperforms or underperforms the opponent while they’re on the court.
A rejuvenated LeBron could change things…
Another netizen chimed in with, “Should’ve rested sooner”. James’ scoring isn’t the only area where he’s struggling—the veteran’s efficiency is also taking a hit. Right now, he’s shooting just 49.1% from the field, which would be his worst since 2015.
His 3-point shooting has also dropped significantly, going from 41.0% last season to just 34.2%. As James gets older, the long ball has become crucial for his game, especially since he’s not attacking the rim or drawing fouls like he used to. They should’ve rested him sooner.
With the roster the Lakers have currently, they need a young superstar alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis aging quickly. “Might as well rest everyone until we make a trade happen,” was a cheeky suggestion by a fan. The Lakers have relied heavily on LeBron and AD to cover up their flaws, like shaky shooting and weak perimeter defense, ever since their 2020 championship run.
LeBron James is questionable for tomorrow; Austin Reaves is out pic.twitter.com/H8giNe9A2l
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 5, 2024
But this season, things are looking different. In 509 minutes on the floor together, opponents have outscored LeBron James and Anthony Davis by 95 points. This marks the first time since they teamed up in 2019 that the duo is on track to be outscored.
A fan made a cryptic comment, “It begins.” Was the user hinting at LeBron’s last season?
Even Shannon Sharpe had hinted that this could be his last season. He had also said sitting out 1 or 2 games isn’t gonna change anyone’s opinion of him. So is it really The Chosen One’s last season? What do you think?
