Although he is about to turn 38, James still maintains a fiery competitive state, averaging 29.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists so far this season, shooting 52.2% from the field and shooting 35.3% from three-point range. So far, they have only achieved a record of 27 wins and 31 losses, ranking ninth in the West, and behind them are the Blazers and Pelicans, who may fall out of the playoff zone at any time.
The Lakers' poor record has a lot to do with the sluggish state of James' teammates. As the other two of the team's big three, Westbrook has performed badly this season, averaging only 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game so far, shooting less than 30% from the outside, while Davis is not only in a state of decline, but also suffers frequent injuries, playing only 37 games this season.
The poor play of James' teammates can't even be seen by others. Ahead of today's game against the Jazz, former NBA player Arenas commented on the Lakers' performance on a podcast show, and he mercilessly criticized James' teammates for looking in the mirror, and their sluggish performances were wasting a chance to win the championship and shortening James' career.
"I think as teammates they should look in the mirror and tell themselves 'I'm shortening James' career, I'm wasting my chances to win the championship, and if James has played so well and the team is still struggling so hard, it's that I'm not doing a good job.'" James said, "Playing around James, you just have to do yourself, James will take the initiative to adapt to you, you know, James chose you, is the reason why you came to this team." 」 ”
The data shows that in the 41 games in which James appeared, the Lakers' record this season is 21 wins and 20 losses, with a winning rate of more than 50%, while in the 17 games he is absent, the Lakers have a record of only 6 wins and 11 losses, with a winning rate of only 35%. The 4-time MVP's importance to this team is self-evident.
From this point of view, Arenas' remarks are not unreasonable, especially considering that James has continued to play with swollen knees recently, which may indeed affect his career.