At 41 years old, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is doing things no other player in NBA history has ever done.
James may be declining from an athleticism standpoint, but he remains as effective as ever thanks to his ability to play multiple roles. Luka Doncic may be the face of the franchise, but James is its most versatile player as he can do whatever the team needs to win.
Jarred Vanderbilt, freshly reinserted back into the rotation, has been key in helping the Lakers turn their defense around a bit but he and the team still have a lot of work to do to get back on track.
As far as what it’s been like to see James up close, Vanderbilt expressed how impressive it is to see him playing this well so late into his career as the legend celebrates his 41st birthday.
“I’ve been seeing it inside the last three, four years so the things he’s still able to do at this age and at this level of his career it’s still impressive,” Vanderbilt said. “So like each and every day I’m like dang, still impressive to see him still play at this high of a level at this age.”
Vanderbilt also emphasized James’ IQ as the separating factor between him and other players in the NBA.
“I would say obviously his IQ,” Vanderbilt answered when asked what separates James from most greats. “Being able to read the game, know his spots, know where he want to get to, know where guys…soft spots, hot spots are, how teams are guarding us. Him being able to grasp that in real time and being able to apply it not only for him, but for our team as well on both ends of the floor I think that kind of what separates him now. He might have regressed in the sense of as far as physical ability, but as far as his IQ and his mentality it’s still extremely high so I think that’s what separates him.”
To Vanderbilt’s point, it seems like James knows what he needs to do to stay productive so he finds what he can improve in his game. In fact, Kevin Durant even admitted he thinks James is still improving which says a lot.
No matter how much James declines physically, his basketball IQ is second-to-none which will enable him to play for as long as he wants.
Luka Doncic acknowledges effort needs to start with himself and LeBron James
Luka Doncic and LeBron James face an even heavier burden for the foreseeable future with Austin Reaves out. After the Lakers snapped their losing streak against the Sacramento Kings, Doncic acknowledged the effort needs to start with himself and James.
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