In less than a month, LeBron James will officially turn 39 years old. That is the age when most players have retired or cannot maintain peak performance. However, LeBron James is still one of the best stars in the NBA.
LeBron James’ impressive form is helping him average 25 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists, with a shooting efficiency of up to 55.8%. He even brought the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA In-Season Tournament finals.
Besides, LeBron James becomes even more dangerous in the fourth quarter or crunch time. This is the word used to refer to the last 5 minutes of the match, when the difference between the two sides is no more than 5 points and all winning or losing results cannot be predicted. That was also the time when the players were at their lowest and needed to show the most bravery, but LeBron James still delivered an impressive performance. Since the beginning of the season, LeBron James has converted 65.5% of his shots during crunch time.
So how can LeBron James still maintain such impressive performance when he is nearly 39 years old?
Three reasons why LeBron James plays effectively during crunch time1. LeBron James defends with top basketball IQAt the age of 39, LeBron James certainly cannot be compared to his most productive period in terms of defense. He is often surpassed by opponents with better speed and trickier skills, but that does not mean that LeBron James’s defensive ability is underrated at the present time.
If he couldn’t maintain his defense with his physical strength, LeBron James used his basketball IQ and incredible knowledge to fend off his opponents. Extremely sharp ability to read situations, signaling teammates to follow dangerous areas before the opponent’s run is made. He is even the rear support person for his teammates to prevent the worst plans.
Take a look at the video below, as LeBron James smartly moves to block an opponent’s pick-n-roll, before reading the subsequent pass to win the ball back for himself. team.
It's cool that LeBron can still turn it up and make heady defensive plays in crunch time.
Watch him hedge and recover here to help contain Booker, then rotate over as the low man to get the steal. pic.twitter.com/gPjkuT17TF
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) December 6, 2023
Those are the invaluable values that LeBron James brings to the Los Angeles Lakers during crunch time. According to statistics, the Lakers are the best defensive team in the NBA during this period, only allowing opponents to score an average of 93.8 points in every 100 ball control situations. The second-place team in the tournament is the Sacramento Kings, which also only has an average score of 97.6 points per 100 ball possession situations.
During the conference call, LeBron James even instructed his teammates about situations that opponents could perform. At 39 years old, LeBron James is no longer the best 1-on-1 defensive player, but one of the best system support players in the 2023/24 season.
2. Make the most of your physical advantage against smaller opponentsNot only defending, LeBron James always knows how to save energy when attacking. Normally, opponents will send players with the best defensive skills to accompany LeBron James. But of course, the Los Angeles Lakers did not allow this to happen.
The Lakers players continuously stepped forward to support by building a wall, forcing the opposing players to change their markers if they did not want a gap to appear immediately. A similar situation occurred in the match against the Phoenix Suns, when LeBron James received 2 assists to confront Grayson Allen, a good defensive player but too small when compared to LeBron James.
LeBron James does not use speed to overcome opponents. He simply took advantage of his superior height and physical strength to take the best position, then created an easy scoring situation.
That helps LeBron James save a lot of energy during the most important time of the match, bringing valuable points to the Los Angeles Lakers.
3. Upgrade 3-point shooting abilityLeBron James is having a breakthrough in 3-point shooting performance in the 2023/24 season. He has an average 38.7% 3-point shooting success rate, far exceeding the 29% in his rookie season in the NBA.
With LeBron James, he emerged as a player with outstanding physicality, speed and skills, specializing in using his advantage to score close to the basket or mid-range shots. During his entire career, LeBron James has never been highly appreciated for his 3-point shooting ability.
In a professional environment, changing your playing style to adapt to age is not easy, and few people can still do as well as LeBron James when practicing a completely unfamiliar skill. However, that is what he did, improving and upgrading his 3-point shooting ability to a powerful weapon, making it more difficult for opponents to follow him during the decisive time of the match.
That’s how LeBron James can still dominate the NBA even when he’s almost 39 years old. Take advantage of peak basketball IQ, use energy-saving play and upgrade other skills to match the times. time, that is what LeBron James brings in the 2023/24 season.
