LeBron James looked healthy, dropping 42 points in his first visit to the Drew League since 2011.
LeBron SHUT IT DOWN in the @DrewLeague today dropping 42 points and snatching the W!
— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2022
👑 @KingJames: 42 PTS, 16 REB, 4 STL pic.twitter.com/ItazG82UVv
After the game, LeBron told Dave McMenamin of ESPN, “I’m 100 percent healthy.”
LeBron sat out 26 games last season, with a sprained ankle sidelining him for seven Lakers’ games down the stretch as the team fell to the No. 11 seed and missed the play-in. For his career, LeBron has been an incredibly healthy player and his commitment to strength and conditioning has shown. Still, as he’s gotten into the second half of his 30s the little tweaks and injuries that come with NBA basketball have started to catch up with him at points.
If the Lakers are going to get back into the mix as contenders, it has to start with LeBron and Anthony Davis being healthy — and Davis returning to his bubble level of play. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka did a good job this offseason making the team more athletic around their stars — Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones — but it all starts with a healthy LeBron and Davis.
Adding Kyrie Irving would help, too, but that’s a more complex issue.