Named NBA Player for most of the past two decades, LeBron James has had extraordinary athleticism, incredible mental ability and selfless way of playing.
From winning two consecutive MVPs with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009 and 2010, to winning two championships and two other MVPs with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, and winning championships with the Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, few players have really challenged James to the NBA.
Even in front of Michael Jordan, who is known as the first person in basketball, James in addition to missing 1 championship, the championship has not been won by the team, and the scoring king, can be on an equal footing with the god of basketball, but now James can still have a number of records before Jordan, some data is even expected to be the first in history (the current playoff score steals first, the number of playoff appearances, the total score of history will basically become the first in history after playing in the contract year), and it is expected that the future can still be the same level of status as Jordan. Although the data belongs to the data, but according to the state of the season, the 37-year-old Twilight James, can not be the same day, it is reasonable to say that under the sharing of the deputy helper, it can still play the same performance of previous seasons, but this season has seen That James even if he uses his own strength or even when the giant teammates are present, it is still difficult to lead the team to victory, and it is difficult to find the figure of the old man in the top few or even the top twenty of the data list such as scoring assists. What exactly caused him to fall off the altar and no longer the James we know who single-handedly changed the game? There are three reasons.
1. James is really old, age is a constraint for athletes, not to mention the epidemic in recent years
James and the team's bizarre form began this spring, starting with James being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career. And in the new season, due to injuries and COVID-19 testing, he missed 12 of the Lakers' first 27 games. So far, the Lakers have played 27 games, James has only attended 6 games, and he is recuperating and isolating when he is not injured.
And now Kevin Durant, Alphabet Brother, Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry have all improved their seasons. Even Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid are about to surpass James in all respects.
It was a strange new reality for James. The NBA world no longer depends on him. The Lakers, who currently have a record of just 14 wins and 13 losses, are adapting to the addition of Russell Westbrook and a series of free agents. Even with James, the Lakers are still 9-6.
James' roster has been constantly adjusting over time as james has switched between teams, but given his age and experience, this lineup change is probably his most ambitious plan to date. The four-time MVP winner will celebrate his 37th birthday on December 30, which is his 19th year. In NBA history, only Abdul-Abdul-Jabbar and Carl Malone have played more time (in the regular season and playoffs) than James.
He's also begun to reinvent his game, once built on athleticism, now built on breaking through defense and rushing to the basket.
Like other NBA players, he loves long passes. This season, he's shooting a career-high 7.9 from three-point range, or 40 percent of his total shooting percentage. In terms of foreign media statistics, "Six years ago, his average shooting distance was only 9.6 feet, and this season, his average shooting distance reached 15.0 feet, which is the longest shooting distance in his 19 seasons." It's also a clever way to prevent further descents, as there is a lot less physical risk of taking off at three points than driving on Embiid, Rudigobel, or anyone else. ”
The Lakers will actually benefit from James having more chances to catch the ball and shoot. He has performed well on the sidelines this season (3.6 shots per game, 42.6 percent shooting), but underperformed in outside assists (3.9 shots per game, 28.8 percent shooting).
Head coach Frank Vogel and the Lakers face how to protect James. Make sure he doesn't smash himself late. Hopefully, he won't fall off a cliff after high usage.
However, even with Westbrook and Anthony Davis on board, James still leads the Lakers in terms of average playing time, scoring and usage, which doesn't bode well for the rest of his season.
As a result of this ongoing responsibility, James has become a master of load management during the game, which is what he must do with an average of 36.7 minutes per night, his highest record since the 2017-18 season.
"He's looking for new ways to manage himself, when he's on the pitch. He missed a lot of games for many reasons, either angry with his teammates or didn't quit. He would attack the basket, then fall, and then never get up and ask for a foul. A Los Angeles reporter said, "I don't think he's good for anyone by playing 40 minutes a night; He's going to collapse, probably as we see it now. He's losing his athleticism, his speed, his explosiveness and his explosiveness, but that's all there is to the Old Man of Time. ”
2. The team trade came to Wei Shao, but the two did not fit in
Of course, trading Westbrook is about adding a possession star, and he could theoretically make James' life easier, taking some of the responsibility for the organization and scoring off, even if he's a good fit.
While James' playing time increased, his usage dropped to 29.4 percent as Westbrook played, the lowest level he's had since his rookie season. When the two played together, James' usage dropped to 28.0 percent, while when he didn't have Westbrook, James' usage dropped to 30.3 percent.
This partnership contributes to James' longevity, but is not conducive to the success of the Lakers. When James and Westbrook played together this season, the Lakers had a net score of +2.4. If James plays and Westbrook doesn't play, that rating rises to +4.5.
"LeBron was a terrible general manager; Westbrook wasn't a good fit there. He doesn't need an old player to be around. They still need LeBron to do everything – it's not a good approach for this stage of his career," scout told Sports Report
Keeping shooters around James has long been the secret of success, such as JR Smith Frye who was fed out of contract too much because he had no ball to play or was unknown. In the past, James' success rate of attracting bag assists to let teammates hit the open mid-range shot has always been ranked first in the first place above 80%, and in recent years, the Lakers have added Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard and Rajan Rondo to the lineup that already has Horton Tucker and Anthony Davis, which is self-inflicted. The Lakers are only 17th in three-point shooting percentage this season (averaging 11.9 per game) and only 13th in shooting (35.3 percent), putting the 23rd-ranked offense in trouble (107.2 points). Westbrook needs possession, James also wants, it is true that the Lakers scored +10 when Westbrook was on the court, the offensive opportunities have been smooth, and many assists have been converted into points. But when James was on the floor, he became dispensable, became afraid to shoot, couldn't shoot when he got the ball, and rarely hit three-point shots. The usage rate was as low as 28.9% of the usual level for individuals. In fact, with reference to the young version of the old Zhan of the letter brother, you may know how to maximize the value of the elderly man, but the Lakers have chosen an All-Star who does not match him. Maybe on the one hand, the commercial cost value of their big three, the old Zhan must consider this aspect, otherwise he will sit on the mountain and eat short (many famous stars are bankrupt), on the one hand, Paul and Harden are also double point and even play point guards, still able to survive (of course, a large part of the credit of the players, the team has 5 small infinite changes of defense), that year's Rockets are also the best record since entering the 21st century, and can fight with the universe for seven games.
3. There is a problem with Vogel's platoon arrangement
Last season's failures and Vogel's lack of ability to use people this season were easily exposed when the record deteriorated, of course, because of the arrival of Westbrook and james' uncomfortable confusion, it is not surprising that the whole system is chaotic. Vogel likes to use people to death, which Lu guided to understand, give the ball to the old Zhan to get, but James is absent, completely lost in the use of people. And for the unfamiliar conflict of the fundamental employment of people, there is no doubt, suspicious people do not use. For example, Master Huo, and Rondo has never seen him after that. This season, there has also been a situation where Rondo and Wei Shao played the fourth quarter at the same time, and the way ordinary people know it is similar to poison, and they are more worried about Vogel's ability to line up on the spot.
Even if lao Zhan is arranged to take a lot of rotation during the game, it is more than in previous seasons. James did a good job of playing time because he played almost the same time in the first half (17.9 minutes) and the second half (17.5 minutes). However, his efficiency was clearly affected.
In the first half of the season, James averaged 12.7 points per game, shooting 57.0 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from three-point range. In the second half of the year, it fell to 11.9 (44.2%) and 30.6% (3%). In the fourth quarter alone, he shot 42.7 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from beyond the three-point line. The Lakers just need to reduce his playing time and try to keep him energized until the end of the game.
James may no longer be like he used to, keep his head down, one after another strip, the Lakers can effectively use him in many different ways, including as a big forward who can pull away space-type singles, the offensive core of the possession (his interior shooting rate is as high as 85.7%), and as a guard next to Westbrook, yes, as far as the efficiency of Old Zhan, let him shoot three points without the ball, Gong Wei is less as the big brother who controls the ball, after all, Old Zhan shot much more reliably than Wei Shao, as long as it is not the fourth quarter to let Wei Shao take, Because it is easier for his brain to heat up when he is critical.
summary
Talk about James' own off-court influence and share. And even if Alphabet Brother, Durant or Jokic should be considered the best player in the NBA, the 37-year-old James can still be selected as an All-Star in a few seasons, which is very important to him. One option this season (which he's likely to get, given the 50 percent of the total number of fans votes) would bring James to 18 career picks, equaling former Lakers great Kobe Bryant as the second most option in history. One appearance in 2023 will put James and Abdul-Jabbar on an equal footing in history, and he alone holds the record for his 20th appearance in 2024.
We've been lucky enough to witness James rule the NBA for so long that it's odd not to see him in the top position this season, but to say the least, he's still in the league's top five players. However, if the Lakers can better manage his playing time and use, he may stay there for a longer career.