:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72888604/1799773971.0.jpg "How LeBron James dominates the Lakers 21 years into his career")
While LeBron James continues to dominate the Lakers at an unprecedented level, Father Time faces his toughest battle yet despite being undefeated.
Angel – LeBron James enters his 21st year of NBA basketball, a career long enough that he can legally drink alcohol, a feat that his two current Lakers teammates have yet to accomplish. Incredibly, he is the seventh player in NBA history to play as many consecutive seasons — only Vince Carter made it to ’22 — and the only one to average that season. Players who play more than 20 minutes or average more than 10 points per game.
But LeBron doesn’t just play some minor role with the Lakers. He leads the team in scoring 8-6 and ranks second in rebounds and assists. Through 14 games, he’s arguably their best player, leading the team in value above replacement player (VORP) and box plus/minus (BPM) while trailing only Anthony in win shares (WS) Davis.
“I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do, like I did on the court when I was in my 20s,” LeBron said after a recent blowout win over the Grizzlies. According to his stats, he doesn’t wrong.
In his 20s, LeBron averaged 28.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 39.2 minutes per game. Since entering his 20th season in the NBA, he has averaged almost the same numbers, averaging 28.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists. His consistency is even more impressive when you consider the fact that he’s playing four fewer minutes per game and posting a higher effective field goal percentage in that span.
While the statistics continue to be favorable, the Kings have definitely slowed down in some areas. Even if LeBron can still guard the Grizzlies’ current Derrick Rose, as he did in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, there’s no way the current LeBron can lock down pre-injury Rose in MVP form.
Although the leaping ability he often displayed early in his career is no longer the same, LeBron still flies around the basket as often as anyone in the league, delivering spectacular dunks or chasing down opponents’ drives for chase-down blocks. .
As he ages, LeBron also loses some of the ability to handle the individual playing time load he used to carry as well as the overall playing time load he typically carries. Having missed 60 regular-season games due to injury in four of the last five seasons, there are now times during games when LeBron has to take his foot off the gas to have enough gas in the tank when the Lakers need it most.
Still, even without the Swiss Army Knife-like influence of his youth, averaging 48 minutes per game, a more coachable LeBron would be better than at least “90 percent of NBA players,” as James put it himself after last season’s playoffs. estimated. Enter the Western Conference Finals.
LeBron no longer drives past defenders like he did in his youth, but instead uses his strength and savvy to score more. Here, he capitalized on Dillon Brooks’ over-the-top performance for a crucial fourth-quarter score.
Then, against Brooks again on Sunday night, LeBron repeated the feat.
Even at his age, LeBron remains one of the best threats around the rim in the league. This season, he ranks fourth in transition points per game and is shooting 82% (76/93) at the rim, the best among players with more than 70 attempts. LeBron remains one of the most efficient stars in the league, ranking fourth in points per shot among players with a usage rate above 30 percent and even currently posting a career-high true shooting percentage of 67.1 percent.
After the Lakers’ win over the Rockets on Sunday, Austin Reeves talked about LeBron’s rare combination of age and dominance, “If LeBron plays like this, we want him to play 48 minutes… I think every day All remind him that he’s old… “He’s fought Father Time more than anyone who’s ever played this game except Tom Brady. “
When asked about his motivations for continuing trucking, LeBlanc emphasized a similar message, “Just trying to push the envelope. See how far I can take this thing. It’s me vs. dad time. “I’m Try changing the narrative. “
Considering that almost no one in league history has done what LeBron is doing, it’s hard to reasonably guess how long he can last. As long as he is here, we are grateful that we can witness his greatness.
Cooper, a lifelong Lakers fan, also reports yankees In Pinstripe Alley on SB Nation – No, he’s not a Cowboys fan either. You can find him on Twitter: @cooperhalpern.
read more