James aging happens in the blink of an eye.

Sometimes you really have to marvel that even though James is nearly 41, as long as he’s still playing, every move he makes is the biggest news in the league.

Yesterday, James indeed exited quickly after scoring double digits in the final quarter. From my perspective, it’s not a big issue; the record is set, and the period when James was “padding stats” wasn’t pure garbage time, so why all the controversy?

If we talk about padding stats, which NBA star hasn’t done it? A very recent example is just yesterday when Leonard kept scoring while his team was down by over 30 points. Doesn’t that count as padding stats?

Looking at it another way, if James had scored 7 points and then left without taking that three-pointer, and after the game said he didn’t care about the record, wouldn’t those accusing him of padding stats call him hypocritical?

In just over six minutes, with the score difference around 20 points, honestly, is that really garbage time? Except for Doncic, all starters were on the court. The Suns even double-teamed James, who scored under normal defense and helped narrow the gap. Yet after the game, he faced heavy criticism. This kind of situation only happens to James, given his record of 1297 consecutive games scoring in double digits.

Of course, the main reason James is criticized is his poor form, giving critics plenty of material. After three quarters, he was 1-for-7 for 6 points, finishing the game 3-for-10 with 10 points and 3 assists, but zero rebounds, steals, or blocks — a first in his career.

In his five games since returning, James averages 15.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, shooting 46% from the field, 31.8% from three, and only 55% from the free-throw line. With this sample size, and seeing how often he turns over the ball, it seems this season might truly mark a real decline for James.

In recent years, James has aged but still managed to average 25+ points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, delivering performances far beyond what his age would suggest. This season, however, he increasingly resembles a true veteran.

On offense, he drastically reduced ball handling, only handling the ball somewhat in the second quarter and early fourth quarter, otherwise playing off the ball and focusing on defense. Under these conditions, the Lakers have achieved excellent offensive efficiency, so James is happy to maintain this approach.

I don’t doubt that if given heavy ball possession, James could still produce a 20+ points per game season. But the current James no longer needs to play that way. The Lakers need to complete their transition between old and new players, and James should play simpler and more efficiently.

Although his ball usage has decreased, that doesn’t mean James can coast on the court. He needs to be a more efficient finisher and act as a playmaking hub, using his basketball IQ to create easier scoring opportunities for teammates.

Yesterday’s heavy loss to the Suns was mainly due to Doncic’s turnovers and the team’s poor defense. The recent winning streak made the Lakers a bit complacent, but the Suns are a legitimately strong defensive team this season. In a high-quality game, the Lakers’ defensive flaws were fully exposed.

With less than a month until he turns 41, James remains one of the Lakers’ best defenders, which is quite unusual. Doncic has sometimes been active on defense this season but struggles to maintain intensity against such high-powered offenses. Defenses like the one shown against the Suns will likely continue to appear.

Reeves has improved significantly this season but has natural defensive disadvantages, lacking Doncic’s physique, so it’s hard to expect more from him. Hachimura should contribute more defensively; otherwise, the Lakers’ starting defense is too weak.

Sometimes aging happens in an instant. For Paul, that moment was on his 37th birthday night, after which he never returned to his previous form. For James, that moment might have been the sciatic nerve pain before the season started.

Even so, averaging 15+ points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists doesn’t look like typical production for a 40-year-old veteran. With a usage rate just over 20%, James is producing numbers few in the league can match. The so-called steep decline is only relative to his own past performance.

Before James, no NBA player had ever reached a 23rd season, so we have no benchmark to judge what kind of season James will deliver. Maybe in the next game, he’ll amaze us again with a youthful performance, as such comebacks are not uncommon.

When writing about this season’s James, the word that comes to mind most is “cherish,” because you really can’t be sure if this will be his last season. For years, people have said so-and-so will be the next James, but now everyone knows there will never be another James.

So whether you like or dislike him, you should treasure the time James is still playing basketball.