LeBron James has been one of the NBA’s most dominant players for years. As he wraps up his 17th professional season, people have begun to question whether or not he is still the best player in league history.
LeBron doesn’t think so, and with a record-breaking year under his belt (and an MVP) LeBron wants it known that this season was only special because of where it happened: Cleveland.
LeBron James has been one of the best basketball players in the NBA for a while now. He is known as King James and he has been showing his dominance on the court. This past week, LeBron reminded everyone that he is still “the best in the NBA.” Read more in detail here: best in show movie.
This season, LeBron James will not be named NBA MVP. However, the Los Angeles Lakers great demonstrated on Saturday night why, at the age of 37, he still deserves to be considered the league’s top player.
In Los Angeles, it’s been a difficult and frustrating season. Under the weight of expectations, the Purple and Gold have practically crumbled over criticism about the aging lineup. However, James is enjoying one of his best individual seasons of his career, and with a 56-point thrashing of the Golden State Warriors, he established without a shadow of a doubt that he is still the best player in the NBA.
A slew of emerging talents are vying for the title. Even still, in LeBron’s situation, the King remains the King.
This season, LeBron James has put up some impressive numbers.
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The Lakers have struggled to win games, but it’s not because of James.
The four-time league MVP is in the midst of one of his greatest seasons. James is averaging 29.4 points on 52.2 percent shooting from the field in 46 games. In each game, he averages 8.1 rebounds, 6.2 points, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 block.
LeBron’s performance this season has also been praised by sophisticated statistics. In the three categories of player efficiency rate (PER), box plus-minus, and value over replacement player (VORP), he trails only Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid – the three leaders in a thrilling NBA MVP battle.
Every time James enters the restricted area, he dominates. As a consequence of shooting almost 80% at the rim, he’s shooting over 71 percent inside of 10 feet. In fact, James hasn’t shot the ball as well as he has this season since the 2013-14 season.
In Saturday’s triumph against the Warriors, LeBron showed off his immense gravitas, virtually single-handedly carrying LA to victory.
In a victory against the Warriors, James scored 56 points.
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Some basketball fans may be tempted to dismiss LeBron James’ statistics as “empty” metrics in the midst of a disappointing season. After all, he’s attempting to break Kareem Abdul-all-time Jabbar’s scoring record.
LBJ, on the other hand, was instrumental in the team’s victory against the Cavs, and he did it in spectacular form.
On 19-of-31 shooting from the field, James scored 56 points, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. He scored at all three levels and converted 13 of his 13 free-throw attempts.
James sped out whenever the Lakers collected a defensive rebound, making him a viable option in transition offense. He began at center for the Lakers and played like a big man, sealing players in the post and pressuring them to the basket. In pick-and-roll, James slid to the free-throw line and moved efficiently without the ball.
James scored from the outside as the Lakers were fighting to get back into the game. He hit five of his six three-pointers in the second half, giving LA a 16-point fourth-quarter advantage. LeBron’s effort helped the Lakers snap a four-game losing run, allowing Laker Nation to breathe a sigh of relief.
For the Purple and Gold, things are still grim. They’re quickly approaching the play-in tournament. Still, James is must-see television, and he may still be the greatest player in the NBA.
Still at the top of the heap
On March 1, 2022, LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers will play at Crypto.com Arena | Getty Images/Ronald Martinez
Whether you think LeBron James is the greatest player in the NBA or not, you can’t deny he deserves to be mentioned.
The Lakers have been chastised by pundits and casuals alike for their lack of success this season. According to reports, James and Magic Johnson, the franchise’s icon, have a feud. There has been a lot of frustration.
But, really, it’s a marvel that LBJ has even gotten LA into the play-in game. Anthony Davis has been out for virtually the whole season. By almost every analytical statistic, Russell Westbrook is suffering his worst season of his career. The second unit has a serious lack of quality.
The Lakers are still battling. They owe their tenuous veneer of respectability to James.
In this situation, LeBron’s standing as probably the best player in the world should not be diminished by his lack of team success. His top-tier status on the floor is shown by his 56-point performance.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
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