LeBron James has undoubtedly exceeded expectations on a personal level, even though the Los Angeles Lakers may not have met projections during the 2022–23 NBA season. In his 20th season, James is having yet another tremendous campaign and shows no signs of slowing down.
LeBron had a slow start to the season, but he has improved significantly since then. He has been particularly dominant after turning 38, averaging 33.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 8.3 APG while shooting 51.5% from the field, which is simply absurd.
LeBron James on his form
He recently spoke on a variety of subjects during an interview with Michael Wilbon for ESPN. LeBron acknowledged that he had shocked himself with how well he had been playing when Wilbon questioned him about it.
“I would say I do. I would say it’s more sometimes like the back-to-back games or the 3rd game in 4 nights where sometimes I’ll wake up and I’m like, ‘I ain’t gonna make it tonight.’ I just feel it. I say, ‘The 20 years got to me tonight. Ain’t gonna be good tonight.’ And then I get out on the floor and I’m running past 21-year-olds, jumping higher than 23-year-olds. I feel real good on how I’m playing the game, not only physically but more importantly mentally. I’m just so much more sharper now at year 20 than I was at year 10, or even year 15,” he said.
LeBron told @RealMikeWilbon about playing at 38 years old:
“I’m running past 21-year-olds, jumping higher than 23-year olds. … I’m just so much more sharper now at year 20 than I was at year 10, or even year 15.” pic.twitter.com/3brOfmQguT
— ESPN (@espn) February 6, 2023
The way he just breezes past some of the younger players and leaps up high for monster dunks near the rim is truly incredible. He reads the game incredibly well, which helps him stay one step ahead of the opposition. This mental aspect is also crucial. While he appeared to be content here, he wasn’t all smiles during the interview.
James on the Lakers missing out on Kyrie Irving
LeBron would have been quite pleased to learn that Kyrie Irving had asked the Brooklyn Nets for a trade. Just before the trade deadline, it appeared that the Lakers had the opportunity to make a championship move, but they were unable to complete the trade, as Irving was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron said that he was sad that the Lakers were unable to get Kyrie, but he added that his attention now is on collaborating effectively with the existing squad. A big 3 of Irving, James, and Anthony Davis may have been destructive, making their inability to trade for Irving one of the more significant What-ifs in recent NBA history.