LeBron James notched his second triple-double of the season in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ home victory over the Orlando Magic. The superstar forward tallied 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in 37 minutes for the purple and gold.
Speaking with Mike Trudell in his walk-off interview, James tipped his hat to a couple of factors that made his insane performance possible: good sleep and Bronny's performance.
The wonders of having enough sleep can't be overstated. LeBron's 36-year-old body, as freakishly toned as it is, still needs to recuperate more than younger athletes do.
Clearly, James is doing things that aren't normal for basketball players his age. Since returning from his first career suspension, the Lakers' leader has been on a tear. Over the last eight games, the future Hall of Famer has averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 38 minutes per game. The Lakers are 5-3 throughout that stretch.
The Lakers have registered back-to-back wins, placing them at the sixth spot in the Western Conference standings. They're 1.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies who occupy the fourth spot.
LeBron James' stellar play isn't new to everyone. However, he's been logging heavier minutes than expected this early out of necessity. Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis are being hounded by inconsistency, so one can only imagine where the Lakers would've been standing if not for the four-time Most Valuable Player.
This isn't ideal, especially when one factors in the fact that the Lakers have over $120,000,000 invested in their top three players.