LeBron James has had to do absolutely everything for the Lakers this season. However, despite playing a lion’s share of the games this season, his franchise sits just 13th in the NBA. Perhaps the only solace in the matter is that they’re only 2 games off the 10th-seeded Jazz.
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Still, this isn’t where the Purple and Gold were supposed to be this season. They have players good at defense this year. And while the rest of the team is sub-par on offense, the King has been going absolutely ballistic.
So, what’s going on? Is the King just being disappointed far too much by his team? Is there not enough support for the guy?
Or, is he a part of the problem?
LeBron James’s defensive numbers look pitiful at best
The NBA community is always at work.
Countless fans of the NBA spend hours scouring the internet for narratives to equate with numbers of every kind. And recently, they hit upon one that doesn’t put LeBron James in the most flattering light.
In fact, this may just be James’s biggest secret about his performances this season.
Take a look at the chart in the tweet below.
a look at which wings are locking up on the perimeter and who’s taking on the toughest matchups.
⬆️Lowering shot quality and suppressing attempts
➡️Guarding better players
-Filtered down to wings pic.twitter.com/cyvAbpZCz9
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) January 31, 2023
The higher a player is on the chart, the worse the opponent’s shot was forced to be. And the further right a player is, the better the quality of the player they guard on a nightly basis truly is.
This means that judging by LeBron James’s position, not only does he guard some of the offensively worse players, but also does an absolutely terrible job at it.
Perhaps it’s time fans stopped giving LeBron James as much credit as they have been for the entirety of this season.
Perhaps the King isn’t annoyed by the problem, but rather a massive part of it.
What is LeBron James averaging this season?
After 40 games played, LeBron James is averaging 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1 steal, and 0.6 blocks per game.
The King is also shooting 50.7 points, 31.2% from deep, and 77% from the charity stripe.
Also Read: “What’s Up?”: Shaquille O’Neal Shares What He’d Email Kobe Bryant One Last Time if He Had a Chance
