Up until this season, LeBron James had defeated Father Time. But a historic Year 23 is starting to show a noticeable decline. Despite taking the utmost care of himself, James can’t recover the same way he did when he was 20. And after immeasurable wear and tear, his body is finally starting to act like a human.

He missed the front end of a back-to-back against the Pelicans due to left foot management. Having missed the first 14 games due to sciatica, a reporter speculated that the injury was flaring up again. However, his absence wasn’t related to fresh pain. It was just the body telling James it doesn’t function the same way as before.

“Yeah, it’s called old. You get it. You understand,” James told the reporter. “Yeah, you understand. Just wake up with s–t that you had the night before, you know”.

The Lakers have also revealed being extra cautious with LeBron James going forward. During the preseason, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said they will play the long game with the four-time MVP. One of those things could mean James missing back-to-back games to avoid any physical strain on a body that’s been through the gruelling NBA schedule for over two decades.

It’s starting to impact his performance on the court as well. The former juggernaut forward is averaging a career-low 15.2 points while attempting the least amount of field goals of his 23-year career. The adjustment is partly because of the Lakers’ successful backcourt tandem of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Their high-volume scoring allows LeBron James to reserve himself during the regular season.

If the trend of him missing back-to-back games does continue, though, an impressive streak could come to an end. James could miss out on an All-NBA team and All-Star selection after 20 years. And it almost cost him one of his most impressive streaks today, before James locked in.

LeBron James continues his double-digit scoring streak

All in all, it was the most disappointing night of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker only played 10 minutes aside from other key absences. The Purple and Gold were positioned to extend their win streak. However, the Suns took away their ball movement completely, reducing their offence to just isolation.

James was arguably the most affected by it. He’s taken the role of playing off the ball this season. But with the Suns forcing more turnovers than assists for the Lakers, he had accumulated just 6 points when the fourth quarter began. His 1,296 streak of scoring 10 points was on the line. But James managed to get that in the fourth quarter, scoring exactly 4 before exiting the game.

At least there was something to celebrate. Because, as a team, this was one of the Lakers’ worst performances. JJ Redick was clearly frustrated, stating, “It’s like the Monstars taking over people that you’ve grown to coach, and they’re not doing anything that they normally do,”. The Lakers had a season-low 18 assists. It was the first time none of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, or James recorded over 5 assists in a game.

Furthermore, some defensive lapses infuriated Redick. Collin Gillespie was allowed to get clean looks from beyond the arc, which he punished by nailing 8. The turnovers generated 28 fast break points for the Suns. All the planning and schemes Redick surely introduced for this matchup weren’t followed at all.

Such errors could really affect the Lakers going forward. Three of their next four games are against opposition with a record over .500. This stretch is the first test for the Lakers team that has started the season on a roll. Luckily, they have a few days to regroup before regrouping after such a terrible loss. Being successful over this stretch could either solidify their status as contenders or break their confidence.

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