Indeed. I’d say it’s definitely the beginning of the end. Lebron is unquestionably the greatest of his generation. His longevity has been a marvel. The sports science he has harnessed to elongate his prime will certainly be a boon to future stars. But it can’t last forever. It never does. Time is the great equalizer. Lebron’s raw statistical output remains impressive at 34, but he no longer asserts his will on the game with any great consistency. For the last few years he’s been conserving energy during the regular season, which is a useful middle-age strategy when you play in the Eastern Conference. Not so much in the West.
Yet still he missed, what, 19 games this season due to injury? 20? Many like to point to those missed games and say, “Well, if he hadn’t gotten injured, the Lakers would have made the playoffs.” And I think such comments miss the point entirely. Lebron is no longer the Bionic Man. That was the most time he’s ever missed due to injury. It’s not a coincidence that it happened in his 16th season in the league. It’s an effect of this being his 16th season in the league (with a huge number of playoff wear and tear to account for, as well).
“Building around” Lebron was always going to be a fool’s errand for the Lakers if they didn’t begin with a younger second all-star already in place. Pulling off the Anthony Davis trade mid-season probably would have gotten it done, too. But now? Who’s going to be amped to join a soon-to-be 35-year-old Lebron on a Lakers team that’s missed the playoffs for six straight years, who’s head coach is inexperienced, embattled, and on the verge of being fired, and who’s front office is quickly becoming a laughing stock around the league through the sheer force of their unearned hubris? I think Magic and Pelinka are going to be making a much tougher sell to free agents then they imagined, and I’m not convinced they’re up to the task.