After winning his fourth ring with the Los Angeles Lakers, there is no doubt that LeBron James has cemented himself as one of the best players to ever play the game. For the first time in his career, however, many questioned if LeBron was even the best player on his own team.
Future Hall-Of-Famer Chris Webber and current Lakers teammate Markieff Morris claimed that Davis is the best player on the team even before the Purple and Gold made the 2020 Finals!
Regardless on what you believe, it would be foolish not to think that this duo is elite. But do they have enough in the tank to repeat? To win a couple more? Well, that relies solely on the offensive catalyst, LeBron James.
LeBron needs to continue his play as a ball-dominant, NBA superstar for the Lakers' success to continue. Thus, the debate is born: How many rings will he finish his career with? LeBron could very well end his career with five rings, falling just short of Jordan's six. Here's why:
LeBron James' Age
In season 16, LeBron James looked explosive as ever. Whether it's a chase-down block or an unbelievable dunk, James appears like he has barely lost a step. However, nobody can combat the struggles that come from getting older. If you think about this past season, it shouldn't be surprising that he is as athletic as he is.
LeBron was coming off his first full offseason since the 2004-05 campaign. It's not like he had any first round exits either in that 13-year run. Prior to the 2018-19 NBA campaign, he had been in eight Finals in a row.
With a full offseason and a shortened NBA campaign, it was expected that LeBron would be full of energy. However, it would be very difficult for him to repeat this level of success next season with a full regular season and a limited time of. It's expected that at age 36, fans will finally begin to see his decline.
How will this affect his winning? A slowed down James means a slowed down Lakers team. If he's not playing at an extremely high level, it's hard to see the Lakers repeating their playoff success, especially in the Western Conference.
Competition
The NBA landscape has recently been dominated by young and budding talents. Both conferences are full of stars who have yet to reach their full potential. With that being said, it will be difficult for LeBron to maintain his status as a Top 3 player in the world for very much longer.
Anthony Davis can likely carry the scoring load and anchor the defense, but that only does so much come playoff time.In order for the Lakers to win again, James has to be one of the best players in the world. Otherwise, they'll have trouble playing against some new faces in 2021.
Next season, the NBA will welcome a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the Brooklyn Nets. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and a fully healthy Warriors team are also expected to try and repeat their playoff success.
On the other hand, there are still the Los Angeles Clippers who will likely aim to rebound from a disappointing playoff performance in the bubble.
It also wouldn't be fair not to mention the Denver Nuggets and their two young stars who will look to repeat their playoff success and dethrone the King this time. LeBron's path to winning another championship will only get harder from here.
Judging by the competition being as good as it is for the foreseeable future, LBJ's success is not guaranteed. One more championship is possible, but it's unlikely he would get to another Finals after that.
Overall
Overall, LeBron James still has what it takes to win one more after this 2020 run, but that's when his postseason success ends. Father time catches up to all athletes, and there are no exemptions.
If James stays with the Lakers and his core remains constant (which it should), he'll have an opportunity to win one more championship and retire with five rings. But regardless if he ends his career with four, five, six, or whatever, it has been absolutely remarkable witnessing his greatness for this long.
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