LeBron James is officially a Philadelphia 76er. Now what? The all-encompassing question comes first – how good is James, at 41? You will have to look at where he left with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 20.9 points per game, assisting 7.2 per game, seventh-best in the league, shooting 51.5% from the field while still playing 60 games. That’s elite numbers for someone who is 41.
Even when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were out, LeBron stepped up and delivered, with the most points in transition last season, and remains an effective option on the break.
Even with his 51.5% shooting, he is missing shots at the rim that once felt automatic now that he is encountering a relative lack of lift at the rim. He also struggled last season with turnovers.
Despite turnovers haunting him, LeBron was still easily in the top 20 last season, even leading the Lakers against one of the pre NBA favourites, Houston Rockets in post-season – with an unmatched playmaking and basketball IQ.
So, why do the 76ers and LeBron make a good pair?
Remember the 2024 Olympics? In many ways, that MVP version of James was different from any version we have seen.
He grabbed rebounds, defended with energy, took a big step back offensively and simply filled in the blanks where needed.
That’s the blueprint for Philadelphia. Maxey, Brown and Embiid are so good offensively, it makes sense to allow them to cook teams.
Surely, there must be concerns
No longer one of the NBA’s best defenders, LeBron still remains as a very good defender, though. He can still read and jump passing lanes, which leads to steals and crowd-pleasing breakaway dunks. In the playoffs last season, he was still able to lock in and be an effective defender throughout the series win over Houston.
But the Sixers do not have elite rim protection, and that will make James’ defense at the point of attack important. Whether the 41-year-old will make an impact, only time will tell us.