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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

Nobody could’ve predicted LeBron James to be this good in his 22nd season. He’s averaging 24.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists a game and has a good chance to make an All-NBA team.

What’s arguably been the most impressive is how well he’s been playing on defense since the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic. The team lost Anthony Davis, who was their best defender, so James had to pick up a lot of the slack.

While he’s been more than up to the challenge, he’s 40 and there are a lot of games left if the Lakers go on a deep playoff run. Speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, one scout isn’t fully buying that James can keep up the intensity on defense.

“Luka has to guard somebody, and you can wear him down,” the scout told ESPN. “When LeBron is on the weak side, he switches so he doesn’t have to move as much. I’ve seen him do it several times in one possession. In the playoffs you will see teams target LeBron and Luka, put them in the pick-and-roll.

“The thing with LeBron is he’s not going to foul; you can score on him with the right matchup. With the right personnel he could be exposed on defense in the playoffs. He’s amazing, taking nothing from him, but it’s a worry.”

Lakers Have Major Offensive Advantage

Even if the Lakers’ defense can’t hold up in the playoffs, they might have the most potent offense of any team in the playoffs. James, Doncic and Austin Reaves are all high-level offensive weapons.

One scout believes that could give the Lakers a unique advantage.

“The Lakers have more shot creators than most of their competition. That’s a worry when you play them,” the veteran scout told ESPN.

The Lakers offense has so much talent. If the defense can continue its level of play into the playoffs, they’re going to be a hard team to beat.

Center Is Still A Concern

Once the Lakers traded for Doncic and lost Davis, the biggest concern for the team was size. Jaxson Hayes was the only healthy center on the roster at the time.

Los Angeles signed Alex Len but he’s been borderline unplayable this season. Luckily, Doncic does make his centers better and Hayes should still be able to make an impact in the playoffs.

“Luka [Doncic] historically made his bigs have these great seasons. [James] Harden is the same way — they get centers paid. He’s doing that for [Ivica] Zubac now,” a rival executive told ESPN. “The Lakers are asking Rui [Hachimura] and [Dorian] Finney-Smith to play [center] and they’re skill sets are as easy for Luka to elevate. It will come down to whether [Hachimura and Finney-Smith] can make shots.”

The Lakers are going to need to add a center or two in the offseason. They clearly know that as they tried to trade for Mark Williams before the deadline. That deal fell through but the Lakers will likely be aggressive in trying to find a high-end center after the season is over.