Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaybee
Ah, for sure. Repeatedly jumping 36" in the air and slamming 220-250 lbs back onto the hardwood can't be awesome for your joints.
LeBron is a cyborg, physically. Last year was the first year he was really injured for any significant period despite big playoff minutes. Start of the inevitable decline, or just a blip? I do think he has the ability to play the "grounded" game for several more years - he is probably the smartest player in the league.
With Kawhi's success this year, "Load Management" is going to be the big thing next year. As pertains to the Lakers, I'm curious to see how much they can actually rest Davis and LeBron and where that leaves them in terms of playoff seeding, and whether it matters. Davis gets injured a bunch too.
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I think the template for James is Malone, who came into the league 25 pounds lighter than when he was in the Finals. He adapted his game around strength and smarts rather than explosiveness.
The templates for Zion are very thin. LJ and Kemp, perhaps. Both of whom had short primes. I think he'd better slim down.