It Is So Goddamn Annoying How LeBron James Is Still Getting Better
Do you think I want to write this blog? Do you think I'm having fun? No. This is basically my nightmare, but here's the thing. I can't sit here all season and pretend that I don't see what LeBron is doing in Year 18 and never blog it. Nobody has a gun to my head or is forcing me to write this, but the time has come. It's my job to spam this website with Celtics blogs that everyone will say are too long and also keep tabs on what is going on around the league. I don't want to do it, I have taken 3 showers since I started this blog, but I have to put my bias aside and address what LeBron James is currently doing.
It not only makes no goddamn sense, but man oh man is it annoying as hell that this dude is still getting better. I'm not talking about fringe areas of his game either. We're seeing a version of LeBron that is adjusting major parts of his game at a time when almost anyone in league history is barely hanging onto their NBA career. My inspiration for this blog came when I saw these tweets last night
Maybe the craziest part of all this is his minutes are barely down from last year's 34.6. He's at 33.6 this year and has played in every single one of the Lakers 23 games. Remember, the Lakers had a pretty long playoff run last year and while other deep bubble teams are being careful with their guys and resting some, the one constant has been LeBron always playing. There's no resting him on the second night of B2B's like some other stars, there's no giving him a night off here and there. It's maybe the most remarkable part of what we're seeing before we even get to the basketball part.
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Last year we saw LeBron decide to say fuck it and become the league leader in assists, something he had never done before in his career. Totally normal for elite players to completely reinvent themselves 17 years in. He finished the season at 25/7.8/10.2 on 49/34% splits. A hell of a season even if he didn't win the MVP. He was just as much of a beast in the playoffs as we all know.
Well this year he said you know what? Fuck it, I'm going to become an absolute sniper from three, once again reinventing himself. The thing is though, with the assists last year it wasn't a total surprise because LeBron was always a brilliant passer, he'd just never really tried to lead the league in assists. He could have done it earlier if he wanted. But what makes this reinvention more impressive is LeBron wasn't really this consistent and efficient sniper from three. He's a career 34% shooter and has only 1 season over 40% which came in the 2012-13 season. What happened that year? He won the MVP.
So far this season we're seeing LeBron average a career high in 3PM (2.7) while taking a career high in terms of 3PA (6.7) while shooting a career high 40.9% from deep. He's right back to the 25/7.8/7.8 with 49% shooting we remember, only now he's arguably one of the most reliable and effective three point shooters currently in the league. That jump he made last year in assists he's moved over to his outside shooting.
I don't have to explain what a problem this is right? How exactly does one defend LeBron now? If he wants to get to the rim he will with ease given his size, and now if you want to sag off him and dare him to shoot, he'll gladly bury you from three. It makes no goddamn sense.
I'm not going to sit here and have a GOAT debate. That shit is so played out, you can do that on your own time. But what I do know is this. As of right now, February 5th 2021, LeBron James is the current league MVP. Guys like Jokic have been incredible. Joel Embiid is having a monster start to his season on a team with a better record than the Lakers despite losing at home to a gutted Blazers team last night. But he doesn't play every night. The Nuggets aren't quite on the Lakers level either as we saw last night too. When you add it all up I can't find a reason that LeBron shouldn't be everyone's leading candidate for the MVP. You can tell he wants it this season and I think Brad Stevens said it best before the Celts/Lakers
Unless something changes the only thing that's going to stop LeBron from winning it this year is if people are just bored with him and want someone new. It wouldn't be the first time.
Every fan base not named Lakers fans is wondering when the hell is he actually going to show any signs of decline? Just give me one sign that he's trending down. Instead, he keeps improving and frankly I've had enough of it.