Former NBA all-star Gilbert Arenas discussed LeBron James and his high level of play on his Gil’s Arena show, and brought up an interesting point about the Lakers star’s longevity that is not often considered.
Could James’s high level of play, that is unprecedented in his late 30s, be putting pressure on players across the league?
“It just puts so much pressure on people,” Arenas said. “The fact that he’s 39, doing what he’s doing, makes 30 seem like you’re a rookie. Now we have a glimpse of what 38 and 39 is capable of doing, which means when players are looking like they’re slowing down at 31, 32, I don’t know how we accept that anymore.”
Anthony Davis did everything the Lakers asked him to do!
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) August 8, 2023
Don’t let LeBron’s dominance at his age make you think that AD still not HIM. pic.twitter.com/qZjhE5CFeJ
Arenas may have a point. James, who turns 39 in December, is still putting up elite stats when he’s healthy. The only signs of aging have been nagging injuries over the last couple seasons, but nothing serious enough to put him out for the year.
James averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists last season as he led the Lakers to a Western Conference Finals appearance, where they fell in four games to the eventual NBA champion Nuggets.
There’s no sign of decline when James is on the floor, and as long as that continues to be the case, more and more pressure will be put on younger players across the league to perform at a higher level as they age.
