It wouldn’t normally be much of a discussion for a 34-year-old player, but this is LeBron James! After being drafted back in 2003, the forward has transformed the NBA. His drive, natural athleticism, and basketball intelligence have put LeBron in amongst the greatest ever.
There is still much dispute on whether he is in contention to be the absolute GOAT, but no one can deny James’ success. 3 championships, 4 MVP awards, and 14 All-Star game appearances are definitely feats you don’t see every day.
There is no doubt that his most iconic achievement is going back to Cleveland to clinch the title for them in 2016. It was the franchise’s first-ever triumph and will be forever remembered by the Ohio crowd.
Despite LeBron leaving for the second time, I doubt there will be much resentment towards him in his home state. The majority of the fans in Cleveland worship the player and feel privileged to have seen him play for so many years.
It was always going to be the LA Lakers, right? Some speculate that LeBron had made up his mind about the move even before the Cavs got swept by the Warriors in this year’s NBA finals. Playing in Los Angeles and the opportunity to tap into the west coast market was always going to lure The King there.
Nevertheless, we have to give credit to Magic Johnson for pushing the deal through. With every team ready to pounce for arguably the most coveted free agent in the history of basketball, the Lakers GM had to be on his toes.
But what exactly did Magic bring to the Lakers? Isn’t a 4-year contract worth over $150 million a big risk? Well, yes – if the player wasn’t LeBron James!
Last time around, “The King” featured in all of the 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. His field goal percentage was higher than in any of his first 9 seasons in the NBA, and he also had his best-ever season in defensive rebounds per game.
Doesn’t sound too much like a guy in decline to me. LeBron’s legs may have gone a bit, but his mind is sharper than ever, and he looks determined to take over the Western Conference.
But will James’ talents be enough to rally a young Lakers team in transition, and what can we expect in the forthcoming season?
We can’t discuss LeBron’s legacy in the NBA without touching on the question that’s on everyone’s lips – will King James be able to effectively challenge the Golden State Warriors?
After all, the Lakers have gradually spiraled into obscurity after Kobe Bryant’s retirement. Their team is young and vibrant, but it’s no secret that the roster didn’t have what it takes these last few years. The Lakers had lost their golden touch, and everyone at the Staples Center knew it.
Even after some promising plays from young trio Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram last season, it was evident that something needed to change, and fast.
Well, bringing in the talents of LeBron James was not too bad a start! This has propelled everyone to automatically assume the Lakers will now reach the playoffs comfortably. And maybe they are right to think so.
James did single-handedly take an appalling Cavaliers roster to the NBA finals, after all. However, we have to note he did it in the East, where the competition is not nearly as fierce. And the Lakers do have one outstanding problem, as they did nothing to address the lack of good shooting quality.
Yes, Lonzo has been working on his jump shot, and there are some positive signs from Kuzma, KCP, and Ingram. But if you are going to challenge the Warriors, you need much more than that.
There was talk about bringing in all-star players such as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, but George decided to stay with OKC, and the Spurs never looked like trading Kawhi to a Western team.
Adding the notoriously bad shooters Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee is nowhere near a solution.
That being said, the Lakers will almost certainly finish well above 8th place, and all this might look like nitpicking on my part, but it can also be the reason why the team may have a year to forget.
See, everyone is understandably hyped up about LeBron joining, but will the firepower be enough? After all, Magic is looking to take the title away from Golden State, not just get the team back in the playoffs.
I might be jumping the gun a bit, but James is not getting any younger, and if you are looking to re-establish the Lakers dynasty, you just can’t waste the opportunity like that.
Golden State has snapped up Boogie Cousins and can now boast a crazy starting lineup with five all-star players. Yes – five! Okay, Cousins is not healthy at the moment, but he will be there come the playoffs.
That’s a scary proposition for any team in the NBA. No one had a chance when there were four, and now they have five?! If the Lakers do actually finish 8th or above, it would mean LeBron will have his first taste of the way-more-dynamic Western Conference playoffs.
Will that mean that his endurance levels in a potential conference final will drop? You can bet on it. The teams in the West are better – plain and simple. You can say that last season LeBron played all 82 games and 922 minutes in the playoffs, and I can sure as hell agree that’s an amazing stat at 34 years old.
However, James will now be one year older in a new team and playing in a new conference.
I enjoy LeBron going into beast mode in the playoffs as much as anyone, but I just don’t see it happening this year.
All in all, as the hype from the move dies down, I see the Lakers having a season with around 55 wins in regular season and maybe, just maybe, reaching the Western finals with a bit of luck. Will they be able to shock the Warriors? I’m not putting my house on it. But if you fancy a wager, I would go straight to our early 2018-2019 predictions and teams that could challenge Golden State.
In any case, James will be around for a few more years at least. If he actually manages to win the title with the Lakers, it will go down as one of the greatest NBA achievements in history, as well as a helluva boost for the “LeBron is the GOAT” crowd.
Speaking of the greatest of all time, we cannot take longevity out of the equation. Turning 30 is often regarded as entering the twilight of one’s NBA career. Looking at the stats other legendary basketball players have racked up after their 30th birthday can give us great insight into what we can expect from LeBron.
Any such comparison must start with Michael Jordan. For all the other worthy contenders of the past, it will undoubtedly be Jordan who people will compare LeBron to when he calls time on his career.
The first thing anyone will look at is the number of championships. Of course, on that front, Jordan bests James easily with his 6 rings. Mike has the upper hand in other areas such as MVP and defensive play awards, as well as scoring in regular-season games.
Jordan’s points per game fell from 32.3 to 26.5, and his assists dropped to 4.2 from 5.9. His minutes per game and rebounds didn’t take a significant hit and remained pretty much on par with stats before his 30th.
Taking into account that Jordan played till 39, those are some very hard numbers to beat.
The legendary center holds no less than 72 NBA records. Among those are several considered to be unbreakable. He averaged 22.9 rebounds for a career and 50.4 points per game in a season, as well as scoring 100 points and 55 rebounds in a single game, to list a few.
Chamberlain’s name is bound to come up when people discuss LeBron’s basketball legacy. Looking at what numbers he racked up after turning 30, there is one thing that stands out.
While he was averaging the monstrous 39.6 points per game in his early seasons, that number halved during his last six years in the NBA. Still, he managed to increase his assists tally to 5.6 and average just above 20 rebounds.
For all his achievements, Chamberlain’s main weapon in racking up points took a serious hit between 30 and 36. He also managed to win only two championships, one short of LeBron James.
On top of being the league’s all-time points leader with 38,387, Abdul-Jabbar has 6 championship rings and just as many MVP awards to his name.
The most notable decline of Abdul-Jabbar’s last 11 years in the league was in rebounding. Averaging 15.8 before turning 30, his numbers dropped to 8.4 after that.
However, Kareem was able to mostly keep his prolific streak going. Naturally, it took a dip from the 29.5 he boasted before his 30th, but he managed to keep his average points per game at 21.3 – an amazing stat, given the player’s longevity.
There’s no way I’m not including Kobe here. Besides having won 5 championships and 4 MVP awards, Bryant is the Lakers’ most recent talisman. Some fans even have problems welcoming LeBron to the fold as for years he was seen as one of Kobe’s biggest rivals.
It remains to be seen whether James will make these people come around. In the meantime, let’s see what the stats can tell us about KB8.
He averaged 24.6 before turning 30 and 23.5 after that. His relatively low numbers from the first part of his career are due to the slow start he made in his early seasons. He averaged only 14.3 per game in his first three years.
Aside from that, Kobe’s numbers clearly show why he is the 5th most prolific scorer in NBA history. It is true that his rebounds and assists averages took a slight dip in his last three seasons, but hitting the basket was never a problem for this guy.
To put it simply – not too shabby! In his 10 years in the league prior to turning 30, he averaged 27.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 39.6 minutes per game – definitely numbers that can rival those of the greats.
We all know rebounding isn’t James’ strong suit, but it doesn’t have to be if we look at how his game is evolving after turning 30. Here are the numbers.
LeBron has continued his impressive scoring form, averaging 26.1 points while playing 36.6 minutes per game. What’s curious is that his rebounding and assists numbers have improved, going to 7.7 and 8 per game respectively.
This clearly adds substance to the argument that James’ game is becoming more mature and intelligent as time goes by.
With the Warriors dynasty in full swing, whether LeBron will win a championship with the Lakers remains a mystery, but one thing is for certain – this man does not show any signs of stopping. It’s no secret that his move to LA was propelled by business interests as much as basketball.
However, playing is still James’ main focus, and I reckon he still has a few good years to prove it.
Of course, there are legitimate concerns that his numbers are gradually going to take a hit. Also, we don’t have a clue how the relationship with his new GM and teammates will pan out.
I believe this will mainly depend on Magic Johnson’s ability to build a strong team around his star. I can imagine that the Lakers will be renewing their interest in Kawhi next summer and will be following Kevin Durant’s situation very closely.
If they manage to get another all-star player on the roster, I imagine it will be happy days for LeBron James on the west coast.
Whatever happens, LeBron’s arrival has definitely vitalized the Lakers franchise and the whole NBA community. LA has a superstar once again, and I, for one, can’t wait to see him in action.
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