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Even in his 22nd NBA season, LeBron James continued to seem ageless. He continued to lead the Los Angeles Lakers and keep them competitive, even though there were plenty of changes, not to mention ups and downs, throughout the season.
The arrival of Luka Doncic took a big load off his shoulders and helped him conserve his energy late in the schedule. As a result, he may have enough left in the tank for at least one more season of elite play.
LeBron James’ season stats
In 70 regular-season games, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game while shooting 51.3% from the field, 37.6% from 3-point range and 78.2% from the free throw line.
In the first round of the NBA playoffs, he averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists a game while shooting 48.9% from the field, 35.7% from 3-point range and 77.5% from the free throw line.
Overall Analysis
The Lakers won 10 of their first 14 games of this season as James put up strong and efficient numbers. He posted a triple-double in four straight games in mid-November, but late in the month, he went into a mystifying slump.
He scored under 20 points in five of six games and shot just 39.8% from the field while committing many turnovers during that stretch. His 3-point shooting, which was outstanding to start the schedule, greatly suffered — he made only three of 30 attempts from that distance during those six games.
There was speculation that after all these years, perhaps wear and tear had finally caught up with James. He even briefly left the team in December, but soon afterward, his production returned to normal.
The Lakers started to heat up later in January, and Doncic’s arrival in early February gave them a gigantic shot in the arm. It helped James, as he put up 29.3 points a game in February on some hot shooting, while allowing him to play off the ball more than he has in a long time.
He missed seven games in March with a strained groin, and he was noticeably rusty for several games once he returned. His production recovered in his last six regular-season games, but he then struggled in the first round of the playoffs as Los Angeles was eliminated in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
James didn’t play up to his standards in the fourth quarter during that series, and he had a number of miscues, especially in Game 4, that helped turn the series against L.A.
Still, he had, by all accounts, a very strong season. His 3-point shooting came around after his early-season slump, and he was named to the All-Star team for the 21st time, although he opted out of playing in the midseason classic just before it took place. He was also named to All-NBA Second Team, making it the 21st time he made it onto one of the league’s three All-NBA squads.
What’s next for James?
The 40-year-old reportedly sprained his MCL late in Game 5, but it is not expected to affect his availability for next season.
While he was publicly noncommittal on his future following the Lakers’ elimination from the playoffs, it does appear he fully intends on playing at least one more season, as evidenced by a comment he made in a recent interview. The question is what will come after that.
He has a $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season. The thinking has been that he will simply exercise that option, but according to one insider, there is a chance he opts out and signs a slightly longer new contract. If James opts out and accepts a pay cut of over $10 million, he could allow the Lakers to have access to the full taxpayer mid-level exception of roughly $14 million, but it seems extremely unlikely he will do so.
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