Statistical anomalies do happen. With LeBron James at the epicenter of one of those instances, his haters have been enjoying a field day. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers fans are relentlessly laughing at their expense.
Jason Timpf pointed out what is going on and why it is so silly on a recent episode of Hoops Tonight. Numbers can be a great resource in the NBA to tell a story. However, the lack of added context here was creating a narrative that was far from the truth about who James is at this point of his career.
Timpf said, "The stat is real. ... The Lakers were 6.9 points per 100 possessions worse this year with LeBron on the floor versus off. ... It's a statistical outlier. ... He was on the floor most of the time."
Timpf pointed out that every other season of James' career involved him being a positive for his team. His minutes and lineup irregularities led to this year's number. It just simply is not representative of who LeBron is as a player, even at this late stage of his career.
LeBron James' ridiculous longevity has doubters grasping for straws
It can definitely be tough to accept someone heading into their 23rd season in the league as a top 10 player in the NBA. That statement, though, remains as true as it did over 20 years ago. James is still one of the elite superstars playing the sport of basketball.
Timpf pointed out the James was forced to anchor a lot of the Lakers' worst lineups. No one should be unfamiliar with how lackluster the depth in Los Angeles proved to be throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.
With those units performing poorly, James' numbers were dragged down. LeBron may have been able to carry some truly horrid units to success throughout the peak years of his career. At this stage, it is understandable why the Lakers superstar would have some added difficulty with that task.
This is how long LeBron James been dominating the league 😠pic.twitter.com/2kMBM8OXdB
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) August 23, 2025
Some will think that is all the proof that is needed of James' fall from grace. That is a stretch through any lens that one views it from, apart from that of pure hatred and disdain for the man.
What was real in 2024-25 was LeBron averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. That led to an All-NBA Second Team selection and some MVP consideration.
James still posted 7.7 win shares and .152 win shares per-48 minutes in 2024-25. That came with a value over replacement player of 4.7. The thought of James being done as an impactful superstar in the NBA is simply ludicrous.