LeBron James returns to the Lakers energized and hopefully appreciated

LOS ANGELES — The night before LeBron James made his season debut with Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, becoming the first NBA player until the age of 23, with whom he was friends Utah Jazz power forward Kevin Lovewith whom he won the championship in Cleveland in 2016.

It was not surprising how James wanted to spend the evening.

“He’s always watching basketball,” Love told me. “We were together last night, and he was going back and forth between a few games as well as watching the (Dallas) Cowboys play, which I didn’t care about. He knows every team’s game. He knows every player’s tendencies. He just has a real basketball mind.”

As James enters his 41-year-old season after missing the first 14 games with sciatica, there are many questions surrounding his career. How much longer will he play? Will his game decline? How well will he play with him Luka Dončić and Austin Reeves? Can he handle what is Doncic’s team?

But if you ask Love, everyone should focus on something else.

“I don’t think we’ll fully appreciate him until he’s gone and out of the league,” Love told me.

LeBron James had 11 points and 12 assists in his return on Tuesday. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

And as Love pointed out, the sand falls quickly through the hourglass.

“I don’t know how much longer (he’ll play) — if it’s the end of the year (for him to retire), I don’t think it will be,” Love told me. “But at the end of next year it’s very likely to be the case. I don’t want to make assumptions about what he thinks or what he feels or how his family feels. But it’s coming sooner rather than later and he’s been pretty open about it.”

The biggest point Love made is that it’s amazing we still get to watch one of the greatest players ever. That’s what matters. Not the stories, questions and criticism that constantly revolve around James.

Not to say that any of that bothers the superstar.

James was giddy to be back on the court Tuesday after missing the start of the season for the first time since he started playing basketball at age nine, something he said tested him “physically, mentally and spiritually.”

Things have been going pretty well for the 40-year-old, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since April 30. He had 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, 12 assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes in the Lakers’ 140-126 victory over the Utah Jazz. He effortlessly facilitated Doncic (37 points) and Reaves (26 points), instilling hope — instead of doubt — about what the offense will look like when James indeed becomes James after his long absence.

James called his wind “a little shaky,” as he expected it to be. He scoffed at a question about the team’s potential offensive chemistry, adding, “I can fit in with anybody. I don’t even understand why that was a question. What’s wrong with these guys here?”

As for becoming the first player to reach 23 seasons, he couldn’t help but laugh when a reporter pointed out that seven Jazz players weren’t even born when Cleveland drafted him in 2003.

“Yeah, that just made my back hurt,” James said, laughing.

While Lakers coach JJ Redick praised James’ play as “very unselfish” and Doncic said he “does things that other people can’t do,” there’s no doubt that James’ play will be criticized Wednesday by speakers who will question his fit with the current iteration of the team, which has sailed to 11-4.

Can James indeed to be an assistant with Dončić? Can a player making $52.6 million still be a star at his age? The questions will be endless, dizzying and often contradictory, as they have been in various forms throughout his career.

But the bottom line is this: James finished sixth in MVP voting last season at age 40 after averaging 24.2 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds, following a summer in which he led Team USA to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics while winning tournament MVP.

And this: This Lakers team could be very competitive if James, Doncic and Reaves play unselfish basketball and learn when to oscillate between being selfish and being unselfish.

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Ever since the Lakers stunned the basketball world by acquiring Doncic in a trade last February, they have made it clear that this is Doncic’s team. The Lakers are focused on the future, something James’ camp is keenly aware of, and James’ agent, Rich Paul, released a statement after the superstar picked up his player option over the summer saying they were closely monitoring the Lakers’ moves, adding that James “wants to make every season he has left count.”

The fact that Doncic is “the guy” was driven home on Tuesday, when he was introduced last in the starting lineups instead of James, who was introduced first. And as the two superstars warmed up side by side before the game, Serbian music blared through the speakers at Cripto.com Arena instead of the music James would have chosen.

But that’s unimportant.

If James continues to disrupt Father Time, if Doncic continues to have an MVP-caliber season, and if Reaves continues to look like an All-Star, the Lakers could be something special.

That was highlighted on Tuesday. But more importantly, as Love pointed out, the biggest takeaway from that game is that we still get to watch James.

When Love was asked if he believes James is the greatest player of all time, he didn’t hesitate.

“Did you?” – love asked me, not believing. “Yes.”

Before the game, one Jazz player lamented, “Why did James have to come back against us?” And before he took the court, James’ music played in the locker room, and he sang along to Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” and Bill Withers’ “Aint No Sunshine” as his teammates lined up to hit him.

One of the best players to ever touch a basketball was about to make history again.

James was enjoying the moment. And those around him.

“Twenty-three years,” said the Lion. “It’s unlikely we’ll see anything like that for a long time.”

Melissa Rollins is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, Los Angeles Times, Bay Area News Group and San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on @melissarohlin.