The 2019-20 NBA season came to a halt in response to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and a timetable for a return to action still has yet to be determined.
Players like LeBron James are now going through their fair share of basketball withdrawals after being left in offseason mode by the sudden hiatus. As a result, the Los Angeles Lakers have since taken to other alternatives like Zoom to keep up with their home workouts.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has indicated that a decision on the fate of the season will not be decided until some point in May. Meanwhile, James is doing what he can to stay prepared under the current conditions.
According to Melissa Rohlin of Sports Illustrated, James says he is doing what can to maintain his playing shape:
“Just keeping my body ready, keeping my mind ready for whenever our season resumes,” James said. “But obviously we know what’s most important. That’s the safety of all Americans here in the United States of America and also all over the world and trying to control this thing and trying to get to a place where we can resume.”
James added that he has also kept in contact with his teammates and the rest of the staff:
“We can have weekly conversations with our group, keeping our guys mentally as sharp as possible,” James said. “Obviously we can’t be together. We can’t be on the court, practicing and things of that nature, but we can always think about the game. We can always work on our bodies, work on our minds throughout these times and just stay as sharp as we can for whenever this thing gets back going.”
The untimely break was hardly ideal for the Lakers after they had seemingly found their stride as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference heading into the final stretch of the season. James admits that having to cut the season short would be a tough pill to swallow considering all this team was able to accomplish after what they endured together both on and off the court.
Unfortunately, trying to stay in shape and mentally sharp for the unknown is all the players could really do at this point while the league continues to seek out alternative options to finish out the season. If the NBA is somehow able to avert disaster and proceed in a centralized location, the onus will fall on James to ensure the Lakers can get back on track for a potential 2020 NBA Finals run.
