Why isn’t LeBron James aging?

Why isn’t LeBron James aging?

LeBron James just turned 39 and is somehow still averaging 25 points per game nearly 5 Points better than the second highest scoring 39-year-old in NBA history only two players at his age have ever grabbed more rebounds per game and only one has ever dished out more

Assists so how is he doing this how has LeBron pushed back father time better than maybe anyone ever there are a number of factors that contribute to Great longevity but let’s start with the mind at this point LeBron’s brain is a basketball supercomputer having seen just about everything imaginable across two decades

And sometimes it feels like he knows what’s going to happen before everyone else does when James was younger he was one of the most explosive athletes the sports world has has ever seen and he’s lost some of that burst and bounciness over the years but he makes up for it

Cognitively knowing when to slow down and fake Defenders out with a change of pace at 39 he doesn’t have to out jump everyone but just use his eyes to get them off their feet and find a teammate and it doesn’t take a leite quickness to time up a perfect cut reading this

Double team knowing the paint defense ERS occupied with another teammate and darting into space for some easy offense at the basket he instantly knows Personnel reads like ignoring Russell Westbrook on the outside on this play because he’s a 29% shooter on pullup threes or not overc committing to a mediocre shooter

In transition here because he knows this is a tough matchup for Austin Reeves so he can come help at The Rim he also knows player Tendencies watch him sit on Julius Randall’s spin move here or which guards will look to kick out if you hop toward their Drive in the paint and in

That sense his memory is a great antidote to fight aging he apparently watches a ton of games on off days to scout opponents no I watch all of them at the same time I’m serious I believe you right I can watch every last one of them at the

Same time and he can rattle off sequences from games like their song lyrics I saw the last um you know possession tie game well Kyrie went up three hit the three cat came back tied the game Kyrie got a pick and roll got ice pocket pass to Jared Allen missed two free throws

Rebound toan Prince block shot Andrew Wiggins missed overtime so I watched all the way until Kyrie missed the no I I watch every game I pretty much know every what happened there are numerous stories over the years of how he knows the plays teams are running sometimes better than the opponents

Themselves he started calling the set like Rondo yeah he coming off the whatever whatever we going to switch this this guy was looking in your mouth like right there and just calling was telling the players exactly what was going to happen on the play that you

Call it was a play we was trying to run and one of our teammates forgot the play and Brun told him to play it was some like it was some crazy stuff we calling play he was like what and Brian told him what our play was we saw this in the playoffs last

Year where the Nuggets love this after timeout play to open up the paint for an Aaron Gordon lob and when they tried the exact same play in game two against LeBron he sniffed it out and played the lob instead of the shot and think about

How insane it is to run toward a Nicole yic pick and roll and then leave him as he’s coming downhill but that’s exactly what LeBron does does because he knows the play from watching so much thinking basketball I’m I’m totally joking of course LeBron texted me and said he only

Listens to the podcast this one’s from game four vers golden state with a three-point lead and the Warriors want Draymond Green to drive and draw Anthony Davis over so Klay Thompson’s free in the corner to tie the game but LeBron’s all over it telling Davis to get to Clay

And then ains his man perfectly and that destroys the play and the Lakers held on he calls for an off ball screen here to set up a back door lob but the second Defender switches and protects the paint so James counters by flaring out to the corner and just drilling a three and

Ball skills are another way to saave off old age in basketball because better shooting makes you well better LeBron came into the league as a below average outside shooter but he steadily improved over the years to grow into a good outside shooter making 41% of his wideopen threes in the last five seasons

Adding a ton of range to his shot and improving in more Dynamic situations like handoffs or moving into catch and shoot options away from the ball he’s also polished and maintained specific mid-range moves like this fadeaway going in every possible Direction losing explosiveness has chipped away a little

At his passing he can’t always find the right angle or hang in the air but he’s still crafty enough to manipulate defenses looking to the corner to move this Defender out of the paint and open an easy dunk because he always seems to know where everyone is if he can’t out

Jump a shot blocker he’ll find an open teammate and he’s still to who moves ahead out there every Clippers near the Baseline here so LeBron’s ready to uncork an outlet up the middle of the floor for a run out he’s learned every angle of the pick and roll game the big

Man doesn’t back up here so he lobs it over the top to Davis but later in the game LeBron comes off the screen and slows down which gets the big man to shift slightly toward ad opening the bank for LeBron a lot lot of these passes aren’t about quick twitch athleticism but

Timing and manipulation so LeBron can use gu and slight of hand to set up teammates as he physically declines so he doesn’t have to leap over defenders anymore when he can Jedi mind trick him right out of the way he hits the brakes around this screen fakes the pass then

Finishes it himself and remember he’s basically doing this as a power forward out there which gives his team tremendous lineup flexibility because he’s huge and size age as well most players with great longevity have been giant from Kareem Abdul Jabar to Carl Malone and LeBron has a similar build to

Malone and has learned how to throw his weight around over the years um I’m picking up LeBron full court and it’s like the end of the end of the quarter so like I’m trying to be pesky on the ball and he just put a forearm on me and

I’m like oh my God this dude’s strong that means he has point guard skills but if you switch his screens he’ll immediately attack a mismatch like a big man and he’s so big and strong that even at 39 Jaylen green jumps out of his way instead of taking a charge

And Jaylen heard that free train coming and leapt right off the tracks James also uses that strength on defense because when he rotates onto centers he can just Stonewall them with his power and there aren’t many players in the league strong enough to bang with Joel

And beid like this and agile enough to reposition when they change the angle of the pass you also can’t teach height so he’ll always have that 7t wingspan to protect the rim and you can see how that length still matters on a chase down block like this where he’s reaching

Toward the right side of the rim to block it but his arms are long enough to get it with the left and this is exactly what he did against Andre Iguodala in the 2016 finals only the reverse never came and to just be in the same ballpark

Vertically 8 years later is a testament to his training and straight line athleticism he’s certainly lost lateral quickness and he can’t quite start and stop at the same spe speed anymore but LeBron’s still one of the fastest players in the league when he starts revving the engines he’s always been a

Blur in the open court so 80% of his Peak speed is still really fast and I’ve always wondered how much that football background contributed to his Breakaway speed but LeBron’s also been maniacal for over a decade about maintaining his body he rarely gets injured my personal

Theory is all the flex ability and core training that he prioritizes basically bulletproof’s an already bionic body but he’s also obsessive about recovery listen to any interview about his million dooll training and Recovery constantly comes up sleep post-workout nutrition compression tights cryo baths and on and on so maybe James has

Unlocked the Fountain of Youth maybe his genetics are just that far ahead of everyone else and maybe exercise science has progressed so far that all great players will just play longer Kevin Durant’s averaging 30 points a game which would be a new record for 35y olds

Steph Curry is about to turn 36 and still scorching defenses with his Relentless off ball movement and outlier shooting but all these players have something in common extraordinary skill craft and dedication to the sport and in LeBron’s case his size and especially his mind and Yoda levels of knowledge

Give him advantages even as his body slows down I don’t know how much longer he can keep this up he might be able to do it for a few more years if he stays healthy but I do know that for a 39-year-old to be playing like a top 10

Player is both incredible and unprecedented so even if father time is undefeated he’s at least lost a few rounds thanks to the incomparable LeBron James to support this channel check out patreon.com thinking basketball there you can see LeBron looks like one of the best players in the league at 39 and

Statistically is having a similar year to his 2019 season in Los Angeles he’s trying to make his 20th all NBA team five more than the next best player thanks as always for watching this one all the way through hope you are having a happy New Year and of course a great day

How has LeBron James fought off Father Time so well? How is in position to make his 20th consecutive All-NBA team? This detailed film breakdown & scouting report examines how the Lakers legend uses his mind, experience, size and incredible training regimen to off-set his physical decline.

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Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.

Stats courtesy:
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https://www.basketball-reference.com
https://stats.nba.com
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Music by AlterEgo (Lost)

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