LeBron James is a bad, bad man. Of course, you already know that. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar muscled his way to a tough bucket to finish the first half of their Thursday night game against the visiting Charlotte Hornets.

Check out LeBron James' grown man move against PJ Washington and carve his own path to the rim:

LeBron James finished the first 24 minutes of play with 22 points on 8-9 shooting to lead all scorers. With him going to the bucket like this, it's hard for the four-time MVP to miss. The King's last-second drive also put the Lakers ahead of the Hornets by 15 at the break.

LeBron James has needed to carry the load for his squad as they continue to roll without their starting center in Anthony Davis who's now missing his 13th straight game due to a calf injury. Davis is expected to miss at least a few more weeks which means the reigning NBA Finals MVP will have to do the heavy-lifting for the defending champions for the foreseeable future.

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Since AD's absence, LeBron James has been tallying 25.5 points per game with 8.2 boards and 8.2 assists per contest.

Don't be surprised if LeBron James erupts for a 40-piece on Thursday and leads the Lakers to their fourth-straight win.

It is true that LeBron will eventually need to get more rest and have a period of time before the playoffs when he can downshift and gather himself for the push toward a repeat championship. However, that time clearly hasn't arrived yet for The King and the Lakers. Bron needs to continue to lead this team through the Anthony Davis-less wilderness and lead the Lake Show safely to the other side.

One should not doubt the ability of LeBron to lead by example when the Lakers need his very best ball.