LeBron James is objectively one of the greatest players of all time in the sport of basketball. His all-around ability of scoring, playmaking and rebounding is matched by few players in the sport. When James was in high school many people called him “The Chosen One”, as they thought he would be next in line to be one of the best at the sport, they were right.
Since being drafted first overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, James has won four MVP awards, been selected to seventeen All Star game appearances, made the All-NBA First Team thirteen times and has won four NBA Championships. These accolades have put James in the conversation to be the greatest at the sport with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and a few others.
James has been the best player in the league for years, but that narrative seems to be changing. Superstars like reigning champion Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant all have legitimate cases that they are currently better than James. Not only are these superstars poised to surpass James, but something else is at play that no player can defeat, time.
After nineteen seasons, it looks like James might be coming close to playing his last game. Whether or not the 2021-22 season ends up being his last or if he has a few more seasons left, the narrative that James is past his prime is growing. The question is, how true is this narrative? The 2021-22 season will start in just two weeks, and all questions about James’s play will be answered.
SCORING AND EFFICIENCY
It is hard to top arguably LeBron’s best year which was in the 2012-13 season. This season, James averaged 26.8 points per game on nearly 57% shooting. These stats are impressive and even after the king returned to Cleveland in 2014, he was still able to maintain his outstanding level of his play, averaging 26.1 points on 52% efficiency.
In 2018, James joined the Lakers where despite winning a championship in 2020, has faced injuries in 2019 leading to a missed playoffs and in 2021 when the Lakers lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns.
James’s scoring average has been dropping each year along with his efficiency. The point drop can be attributed to Anthony Davis being pushed as a first option more and more, but that only helps this case.
Regardless, James is still scoring at a high level going into the 2021-22 NBA season, averaging 25.0 points a game on 51.3% shooting. Although James may not be scoring thirty points a game like he was in 2008, he is still effective at scoring the ball.
DEFENSE
In his Miami Heat days, LeBron James was a star defensive player. James has made five all NBA defensive teams in his career, and nearly won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013. When James returned to Cleveland however, this started to change.
It has become clear on several occasions that James does not care as much as he used to, being pushed onto opposing players by teammates on a few occasions. this trend continues as James on many occasions just did not seem to care, notably in the 2021 Playoffs.
This past season, James had a defensive rating of 106.1 and his defensive rating has gone up every season since James left Miami. For the past seven years between the combined time in Cleveland and Los Angeles, James has had a defensive rating of 106.4.
James has shown he can be effective defensively when he tries, but the effort that was there in 2013 is not there anymore. Due to inconsistent defensive play, it can be said that James is no longer elite defensively.
PLAYMAKING
If there is one category that James has not slacked on recently, it is his playmaking ability. Throughout his career, James has been an elite passer especially as a forward.
In the 2019-20 season, James led the NBA in assists, averaging 10.2 assists for the season. It would be inaccurate to say that James has slacked on the playmaking side of the basketball, even for the later part of his career.
LEADERSHIP AND TEAMMATES
LeBron James has been both praised and bashed. James has been praised for his playmaking skills over the year, getting his teammates involved which has carried a few of his weaker teams to develop playoff runs.
James has been criticized for teammate chemistry, not respecting coaches at times and for the Kyrie Irving situation in 2017, which led to Irving being traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The current roster for the Los Angeles Lakers is very different from what it was when James first arrived in LA. Players like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma have been traded without much hesitancy, likely due to James’s influence.
The current roster features James alongside Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony and 2017 MVP, Russell Westbrook. Due to the high caliber play of these players, James may need more help to win a title than he did before.
LeBron James is one of the greatest players at the sport, but even he cannot defeat time. Is James past his prime? In some ways he is, but to say that he is washed up? Would be a lie.
Whether or not James is the best player in the NBA anymore is an interesting conversation, but it would be hard to say that he is. Giannis Antetokounmpo has risen past James offensively and defensively recently. Kevin Durant has always been a better scorer from all over the court, and Stephen Curry is a much better three-point scorer.
Regardless of this debate, James still looks to be an elite player just two weeks away from the 2021-22 season. Aside from individual play, James and the LA Lakers should once again be in contention for another NBA championship.
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