LeBron James, among the greatest players in the NBA, entered his 21st NBA season this year. However, he won’t escape fathers time as the veteran will turn 39 next month. The Los Angeles Lakers paid a price last season by overextending his minutes per game. Thus, for this season, they devised a new plan which barely lasted for two games.
LeBron James is back to playing over 35 minutes per game while leading the offensive charge simultaneously. However, with James still leading the franchise, what position does Anthony Davis hold in the team? Remember, the Lakers vouched for his taking over the leadership of the club during the contract extension agreement. Amid this, Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas shared his take on the situation.
Gilbert Arenas Says Voluntary Transition Of Power Cannot Happen When A Team Has Two Superstars!
Ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers extended Anthony Davis’ contract by three years in a record-breaking deal. At that time, the front office announced that they saw their future leader in Davis and thus wanted the transition of power to happen under LeBron James’ supervision. However, as the new season began, the alleged plan went for a toss. James is still very much seen as the leader of the pack, with AD playing the second fiddle. Meanwhile, Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas shared his opinion on the entire situation. In his podcast show, Arenas explained that Davis perhaps admires James way too much to take over offensive charge from him.
Gilbert further explained that when a franchise has two superstars playing side by side, they cannot expect one to voluntarily hand over the charge to the other one. It has to be forced. He even cited the example of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, saying that the former never passed on the baton to the latter. There is no denying the mutual respect Antony Davis and LeBron James share. During the pre-season press conference, James did admit that Davis is the face of the Lakers organization. He has, in a way, conceded, but a complete transition of power hasn’t happened yet. So, is it the right time for Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham to intervene? Or let time take it due course? That’s for the franchise’s leadership to figure out.
LeBron James’ Commitment Level In His 21st NBA Season Woos Lakers GM
Though LeBron James is nearing the end of his illustrious NBA career, his commitment level is yet to witness a dip. Despite being in his 21st NBA season, James is still training like a rookie, revealed Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. In a conversation with ESPN, Pelinka said that he is stunned to see James’ commitment level this year.
“He’s been doing 6 a.m. workouts. Probably been in our building as much as any player this offseason,” added Pelinka. The GM also claimed Lakers introduce a young depth in this year’s roster to ensure that LeBron James does not suffer much from fatigue. His workload management will remain the team’s top priority heading into the new season.
