What can we expect to see from LeBron James in his 17th NBA season, and second with the Los Angeles Lakers?
LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes of all-time and his durability over his 16 year career has been quite the feat. Last year with the Los Angeles Lakers was the first time in LeBron’s career that he played in less than 84% of his teams games during a season.
Playing in 55 games last season James still put up elite numbers, playing on a young Lakers team. His line of 27.4/8.5/8.3 is a better line across the board than every other player in the league not named Russell Westbrook, but when you add in the efficiency James provides on 51% shooting it makes his line look even better.
So what could we expect from LeBron James in his 17th season? Could we see an even better season than the year he had in 2018-19? The team the Lakers have put around LeBron is much better equipped, and you add in another elite star in Anthony Davis, you can see why James line will go up with an efficiency level through the roof.
When it comes to scoring, James will take a hit in that area, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Lakers will have more proven options on the offensive end and will lead to them scoring more points on offense. A player that James will closely resemble on this front is Russell Westbrook. When alone they can light up the scoreboard but as the same effect Paul George had on Westbrook, Anthony Davis will have on James, which will lead to not having to carry the scoring load as much.
In terms of rebounding, James should stay around the same as he is now, bringing in Davis and Cousins could see a small decrease in rebounds, but looking at the trends over the years James seems to be around that number again. He also is still one of the most athletic players in the NBA even in year 17, so the presence of Davis and Cousins should not be much of a difference maker in terms of rebounds.
As we get down the line to assists, here is where we can see James improving on his stat line the most. He will be running point guard in the 2019-20 season, so he will be setting guys up on the regular and with many options in terms of shooting and big guys down low.
This could quite possibly be the first time in James career that he averages double digit assists and seeing him having 10-15 triple doubles this season isn’t improbable.
Shooting is another area that we can see James improving on. He had a shooting line of 51/33.9/66.5, all three of those can go up next year. He will have tons of space and many one-on-one situations that he will take full advantage of. You can still take James in any isolation situation until he shows any sign of slowing down.
When looking at next year the line that I would predict for next year for James would be 23.5 points per game, 10.4 assists per game and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting a line of 54/37/73. This would be an amazing accomplishment for a player in his 17th year and his reduced scoring role will lead to success for the Lakers down the line and allow James to have an efficiency level the league has never seen.
Many people are wondering when James will slow down, and yet he keeps going. Anything he does at this point is just amazing. He has accomplished all he needs to be a Hall of Fame player, but with his new role, it could lead to a fourth ring and another banner in Staples Center.