LeBron James remains a good basketball player. He's no longer the overpowering force he was in this league for nearly two decades, of course. But concerns about his ability to produce at a high level have mostly disappeared as he gets back to full health following the sciatica injury that kept him sidelined at the start of the season.
In other words — breathe easy, Lakers fans, because LeBron is still a star. If your inclusion of the word "super" as a prefix for "star" is solely based on production, then James no longer fits that category. But that's fine! Just a few months ago, everyone was panicking about whether he could score double-digits consistently. In January, James has averaged 24.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 51.7% shooting from the floor. Those are not the numbers of a washed up player, and LeBron has taken over a few games this month. That can't be expected every night, of course, but he still has it in the tank on occasion.
I believe we're also seeing James embrace the role of complementary star more than he ever has before. He doesn't appear frustrated with his role or resigned to the fact that he can't be the guy he was in 2012. And that's the best possible outcome. Luka is obviously this team's workhorse — and Austin Reaves might be the second-leading scorer whenever he returns from injury. This is the setup that benefits the team the most, and seeing everyone buy into it is encouraging.
LeBron seems to have found his level in year 23
After a start to the season in which LeBron oscillated between "it's over" and "we're back" on a game-by-game basis. We didn't know which LeBron we'd get on a nightly basis, which was nearly unprecedented for a guy who has been the beacon of consistency for almost a quarter-century.
Now, as we've passed the halfway point of the NBA regular season, it feels like he's found his level a little bit. It's not going to be 40-point outbursts, but it's not going to be 9-point stinkers either. He's probably about a 23/5/5 guy every night going forward, and that feels like a pretty massive win for an 83 year-old.
The Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of problems that need addressing in the next few weeks. The hierarchy of its three best players doesn't appear to be one of them, and that counts for something.