The only reason why the Los Angeles Lakers are still in playoff contention is because of LeBron James.
At the ripe age of 38 years old, The King kept the team afloat with some video game-like performances while Anthony Davis was out with an injury, as per usual.
James turned back the clock night in and night out to will his team into a position to win, helping Darvin Ham’s squad straighten the ship and hold down the fort while Davis was back.
And perhaps the most impressive thing about this is the fact that James’ numbers have only gotten better throughout the course of the season, while it’s usually the opposite that happens.
Through October and November, James averaged 25.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 46.6% from the floor.
Then, he bumped his numbers to 31.2 points, 7.4 boards, and 7.0 dimes per game on 54% shooting in December.
More impressively, he finished January with averages of 33.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game on 50.0% from the court.
LeBron James this season:
October/November —
25.8 PPG | 8.6 RPG | 6.4 APG | 46.6 FG%December —
31.2 PPG | 7.6 RPG | 7.0 APG | 54.0 FG%January —
33.8 PPG | 9.4 RPG | 8.2 APG | 50.0 FG%Getting better and better every month. pic.twitter.com/I0FAwRavuW
— NBA Muse (@NBAMuse24) February 1, 2023
Usually, fatigue wears players out, or defenses start making adjustments, so their impressive numbers from the first couple of weeks slowly start to regress to the mean.
James, on the other hand, is only getting better as the months go by, finding his groove and his rhythm and slowly entering the MVP conversation.
It’s crazy to think that a guy could be so efficient and impactful on his 20th season playing at the highest level.
But hey, it’s LeBron James we’re talking about, so maybe we shouldn’t even be surprised anymore.
NEXT: Steve Nash Responds To LeBron Passing Him On All-Time List
