Someway, somehow, LeBron James continues to find a way to seemingly defy Father Time.
Perhaps Father Time is gaining confidence and resolve in his battle with James, as those recent Nike commercials suggested. But it is still way too early to start shoveling dirt on the grave of James’ career, or even his prime.
He may not be in his athletic prime anymore, but he seems to still be somewhere in his prime when it comes to production. His continued high production allowed him to become the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer in February by surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James has gotten more brittle in recent years, as he has played in over 57 games as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in a single season just once. But when he is healthy, he is still one of the very best in the game.
James' 2022-23 regular season stats
28.9 points
8.3 rebounds
6.8 assists
50.0 percent field-goal shooting
32.1 percent 3-point shooting
76.8 percent free throw shooting
James 2022-23 playoff stats
24.5 points
9.9 rebounds
6.5 assists
49.8 percent field-goal shooting
26.4 percent 3-point shooting
76.1 percent free throw shooting
Takeaways
As he often seems to these days, James started the season off slowly, almost like an aging car that hasn’t been started for the entire summer and needs some time to let the engine warm up and have the alternator charge the battery.
But as November wore on, he started to look like his usual self again. Starting on his 38th birthday on Dec. 30, he shifted things into overdrive. That night, he scored 47 points against the Atlanta Hawks, and it was the start of a 17-game stretch in which he averaged 33.9 points a game.
However, it came at a cost. James also played 37.5 minutes a game during the stretch, which is simply too much playing time for him at this point in his career. It’s certainly admirable that he shouldered the burden while Anthony Davis was injured, but from this point on, the Lakers need to keep James to around 32-33 minutes a game, at least during the regular season.
The four-time MVP’s feet couldn’t take the constant pounding. In January, he developed a left foot ailment that was reportedly very painful, and once he broke Abdul-Jabbar’s record, he promptly sat for three games to give it a rest.
Then, just after he returned, he injured his right foot in a nationally televised win over the Dallas Mavericks. He missed a month as a result, and just after he returned, he said he had torn a tendon in that right foot and that surgery was recommended.
James looked limited from that point on, but starting in the final game of the second round of the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, he started to attack downhill, especially in transition, more often.
He put up a heroic 40-point effort in L.A.’s final postseason game versus the Denver Nuggets. He scored 31 of those points in the first half on 11-of-13 shooting while getting a mere four seconds of rest, but he flamed out later in the game.
James has admitted he may need surgery this summer to fix whatever is wrong with his right foot. If he does, it’s not hard to imagine him having another elite or near-elite season or two.
However, he needs to improve his 3-point shooting. That was his big bugaboo all season long, and it particularly cost him during the Denver series, when for some reason, he often settled for treys even though he usually wasn’t making them.
All in all, it was a solid season for the NBA’s new career scoring king. As is the case with Davis, staying healthy is the biggest key for James moving forward.
Final grade: B-plus
