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Kendrick Perkins feels that age is just a number in the case of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. After the latter celebrated his 40th birthday in December, he's shown no signs of slowing down.
Not to mention, once the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, the team has been nearly unstoppable. They've been on countless winning streaks and have proven to be a legitimate threat in the Western Conference.
Perkins appears to be bought into the hype and is on board. However, he made an interesting claim, where his disapproval of Nikola Jokic was on display.
He explained on ESPN's First Take, who the better player is between the two.
“Are we sure that Nikola Jokic is the best player in the league?” Perkins said. “I would have to say right now today that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. LeBron James is getting it done at the age of 40 on both ends of the floor.”
From a statistical perspective, Perkins makes a point. Although James has been the epitome of consistency, Jokic clears in nearly every advanced metric.
His on-and-off numbers are some of the best in not only the league today but in its' history. When Jokic lost the MVP race to Joel Embiid, the Denver Nuggets center's on-and-off numbers cleared Embiid's.
Although it's an advanced metric, that's one of the few that shows a legitimate impact. James has impressive numbers in his own right, but this could be an exaggerated claim by Perkins.
Kendrick Perkins sees Lakers' LeBron James as the best in the NBA
Funny enough, the Lakers superstar is set to make history of his own. James is close to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of the most total points of all time. This includes the regular season and playoffs.
While the Lakers star broke the regular season scoring record in the 2023 season, he's making history once again. As a result, it caught Perkins's attention.
However, it's a bit unfair to shade Jokic with the season he's having. The Nuggets center is averaging a near triple-double. That's unheard of, especially for his position.
Either way, there could've been another way to acknowledge James's efforts instead of having to rag on Jokic in the process. Despite that, the Lakers are second in the Western Conference and are ahead of Denver.
There might be some recency bias to Perkins's point. Still, it doesn't discount what James has done this season, even amid a midseason trade that shocked the basketball world.
