Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Well, technically, that is not exactly what is happening here.
The Los Angeles Lakers have looked every bit of a championship contender in this well-documented stretch for the team. LeBron James should be owed a lot of the credit for that.
At the ripe old age of 40 years old, James has recommitted himself to the defensive end of the basketball court. The results have spoken for themselves. This remarkable turnaround for LeBron should strike fear into opposing team's hearts. That sentiment should be taken extra seriously when considering there is no reason that the four-time NBA champion cannnot maintain this level of defensive intensity for the remainder of the 2024-25 NBA season.
James' defensive excellence should be here to stay
Sam Vecenie spoke on the subject of James' defense on the Game Theory Podcast. Vecenie did not mince his words when describing LeBron as a bad defender for the first third of the season.
The NBA analyst went on to say that James has elevated his defense to the caliber of just below the All-NBA Defensive Teams. The stretch of games where the Lakers have possessed the number one defensive rating in the NBA, Vecenie described James' defense as 'unbelievable.'
It has not been too long since LeBron's coach, JJ Redick, shared a similar sentiment. The only point of contention between Vecenie and the Lakers head coach was the fact that Redick did indeed describe the defense of the four-time Finals MVP as All-NBA level defense.
JJ Redick says that for the last six weeks, LeBron James has been playing at an All-NBA level on the defensive end.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 26, 2025
The effort displayed from the oldest player in the NBA on the defensive end should not be taken for granted. According to StatMuse, James has an impressive defensive rating of 105.0 over the last 10 games. That number only gets slightly worse (106.1) when bumping the sample size up to the last 20 games.
Some readers at home may be thinking, 'Well LeBron can't possibly keep this up forever.' What is the reasoning for that line of thinking?
Sure, the age is immediately going to come up as a talking point. However, James remains one of the most well-conditioned players in the league.
The biggest reason why the NBA's all-time leading scorer has faded on the defensive end in the past would be due to his massive offense role. However, LeBron has Luka Doncic to largely alleviate him of that when needed. That will take a lot of weight off his shoulders and leave him a lot more fresh to continue this incredible defense.
James has been selected to six All-Defensive Teams throughout his career. At this pace, the NBA legend could add a seventh honor to that category. Likewise, at this pace, the Lakers should have every opportunity to help bring home James' fifth championship and the franchise's 18th.
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