NBA stars usually are seeing their careers trend downhill in their 15th season in the NBA. Through 15 games of the 2017-18 season, 32-year old Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James has continued to defy the odds as he impress fans, players, and coaches alike.
Unfortunately for the struggling LA Clippers, who have lost six consecutive games, they'll travel to Cleveland to take on James and the Cavs in the first of a five-game road trip. While the Cavs haven't exactly been the hottest team in the NBA, they've had three solid wins in a row, all on the road, where LeBron James hasn't had to carry the offensive workload.
In his first 15 games of the season, James is averaging 28.3 points, his highest points per game in since averaging 29.7 per in 2009-10 season. He's also dishing out a career-high 8.7 assists per game and blocking a career-high 1.3 shots per game as well. That has begged the question from many this season: Is LeBron James actually getting better in his 15th season?
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was posed with that question before he and his coaching staff attempt to stop the best player in the NBA.
“He's just smarter,” said Rivers about James. “I think he's still as good of an athlete that there is in the league, and with each year, you get smarter. The difference is, most of the time in your 15th year, you're not one of the better athletes [anymore].
“The old Kevin McHale line was, ‘I now can see all the things that I want to do. But now I can't do anything about it because I don't have any pace or speed anymore,'” added Rivers. “LeBron's the exact opposite. He's always been able to see it, and the more years you have, the more you see it better. Usually Kevin McHale is right because you're not athletic anymore to do anything about it.”
“LeBron still is and it just makes him more dangerous. It makes him harder to guard. He's impossible to guard if you trap him. He's Magic Johnson. If you don't trap him, then he scores on you. He puts you in a conundrum every night.”
The most recent example of the biggest problems James' creates were on display when the Washington Wizards hosted the visiting Cavs two weeks ago. LeBron James put up 57 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks on 23-34 shooting from the field, 2-4 from beyond the arc, and 9-9 from the free throw line. The Wizards forced James to beat them instead of allowing his teammates to get going, and he did just that with the second-highest scoring outburst of his career.
“Everyone watched that Washington game where he had 57 and Washington refused to trap,” said Rivers. “In their mind, and they were right. ‘Well, no one else beat us,' but then LeBron beats you. If they had trapped, they may have scored 70 points out of those traps because of his passing. he's just that good.
“There's no one like that. Ben Simmons has a chance to be like that, I will say that. Other than that, I don't know who passes the ball like that.”
The problem the Wizards faced is the problem every team in the NBA has to deal with night-in and night-out: let LeBron James go on a scoring rampage or make him kick it out and make his teammates beat you. So far, not many teams have been able to figure it out, but the porous Cleveland defense of late has allowed teams to do whatever they want. If the Clippers move the ball like they've been preaching, they'll be able to overcome James and end their longest losing streak in over five years.
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