LeBron James' Latest Western Conference Roadblocks May Be Too Much to Overcome at This Age

You wouldn't know it by watching him play, but LeBron James is going to be 35 years old on December 30. Even at that advanced age, he commands a Los Angeles Lakers team that is clearly one of the favorites to compete for a title this season thanks to the additions of Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and Danny Green.

Still, with the Los Angeles Clippers one-upping the Lakers thanks to their Kawhi Leonard-Paul George sweep, plus the Rockets' trade for Russell Westbrook, the usually deep West is somehow even deeper for 2019-20, as 11 teams could conceivably make the playoffs.

Can LeBron overcome this in his NBA golden years? That's a serious question worth asking.

While he's still putting up 27-8-8 stat lines practically in his sleep, he did miss significant time last season with an injury. He was hobbled for an extended period for the first time in his career, appearing in just 55 regular season games.

These newfound health concerns, as well as questions surrounding new head coach Frank Vogel, will force the team to figure out on the fly how to make all its moving parts gel. And the ceaseless march of Father Time could be enough to derail the Lakers this year when it matters most.

When he's out there and chugging along, LeBron will be just fine. He'll put up numbers like he does every year until he gets bored and retires. However, the Lakers could find themselves lost in the shuffle of a stacked Western Conference no matter what.