Lou Williams doesn't buy the internet saying Father Time has caught up with LeBron: "He gotta have fifteen more of these for me to say so"
After a strong start to the 2024-25 season, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is showing signs of slowing down, and online fans are saying that Father Time has finally caught up with its most stubborn protagonist.
And after LeBron scored a season-low 10 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Monday, plenty of pundits are screaming that the wheels are starting to fall off the four-time NBA champions. But while many are already beginning to write off The Kid from Akron, three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams isn't buying what the internet says.
"You know what I love about the internet," said Williams on 'Run it Back' on FanDuel TV. "Are we going to forget that this is the same guy that had 27 and 14 just 48 hours ago?"
Lou Will thinks it's too early to conclude
Lou is right; James still looked like the LeBron of old last Sunday. He took over in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' game against Utah and finished with 27 points and 14 assists. However, playing in a back-to-back game on the road, he struggled against Minnesota, and everyone started calling him 'Old LeBron.'
Sweet Lou, however, acknowledged that James looked bewildered at times during last Monday's game. He said it was the same look he had at the end of his career when he couldn't understand why he could no longer do the things he used to. Despite that, Williams refused to conclude, at least not yet.
"I don't know if that's Father Time or just a bad night out in Minnesota but I'm not subscribing to that, especially when 48 hours you were still one of the best players in the world," added Williams. "Did it look crazy that he's in a shooting slump? Sure. But I don't see this. He gotta have fifteen more of these for me to say so."
LeBron was averaging 24-8-9 on 52% shooting nine games ago
If we look at things objectively, this so-called 'decline' began six games ago, or three games after he recorded four straight triple-doubles from November 8 to 15. During this six-game stretch, he averaged 16.83 points per game on 39.8 percent field goal shooting and 10 percent from deep.
But remember that nine games ago, he was still averaging 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per game while shooting 52% from the floor. And as Lou said, he had 27 points and 14 assists just last Sunday.
As they say, Father Time strikes like a thief at night and without warning. No question, this could be it for King James. But to Lou's point, give LeBron the benefit of the doubt right now because he's earned it. But if this continues for, say, fifteen more games, as Williams pointed out, the internet may be correct.
