20-time All-NBA selection LeBron James had a breakout season in 2023-24. The 2.05-m superstar played the most games of his career as a Lakers (and most since he played all 82 games in 2017-18 while still with the Cleveland Cavaliers) with 71, while putting up numbers that were fairly consistent with previous seasons.
That in itself is pretty miraculous. James, 39, was the oldest player in the league, in his 21st NBA season, and had been plagued by injuries that had caused him to miss an average of 22.2 games per year over his previous five seasons in the league. James averaged 25.7 points on .540/.410/.750 shooting percentages, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, in 35.3 minutes per game. For his efforts, he was named to a third All-NBA team and an All-Star team. He also finished 10th in Clutch Player of the Year voting.
Alongside second-team All-NBA center Anthony Davis, James also guided Los Angeles to a 47-35 overall record and the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last spring.
Is an encore individual performance in store for the four-time league MVP in 2024-25?
James will be 40 and playing in his record 22nd season after signing a two-year, $101.4 million contract to stay with the Lakers through 2025-26. By the end of the season, Davis had clearly emerged as the team’s best player, even though James was still the offensive quarterback under former head coach Darvin Ham.
Still, James emerged as the best player on the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at the Paris Olympics this summer, among a group of future Hall of Famers and champions. It was an impressive sight to behold, and it suggested he could expect more of the same this year, with essentially the same Lakers personnel.
Is he a worthwhile fantasy basketball risk given his age and recent injury history (excluding last year)?
Dan Titus of Yahoo Sports considers James’ value in most fantasy leagues to be essentially that of a third-round pick, given his recent health issues.
“His production has been consistent — count on him to go at least 25-7-7 with a 50-plus field goal percentage and a few 3-pointers and a steal per game,” Titus wrote. “I wouldn’t be mad if you were a LeBron fan and wanted to take him in the second round, but a third-round pick early in the season perfectly balances risk and reward.”
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