Although James is 39 years old this year, through his performance in the last few Olympic Games, we can clearly feel that James has not degraded too much. Today, it still plays a central role in the United States men's basketball team. And next season James will celebrate his 40th birthday. What kind of average data will James deliver next season with the Lakers?
Recently, the well-known data website Basketball Reference predicted James' average data for the new season. They predict that James will average 26.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 36 minutes per game. He shot 51.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from three-point range. Many fans still feel very reasonable after seeing this prediction.
Why is James able to maintain such an effective performance at this age? It comes down to James getting more and more consistent with his shooting later in his career. When James has a stable projection from the outside, the opponent is bound to be tighter and closer to him when defending James. At this time, James will get a better chance to break through. And in the last two years, James has increased his three-point shots, as well as mid-range and low-post back-to-back shots. Reduced the frequency of attacking the basket yourself. When his shooting percentage starts to improve, everything will be easier.
Of course, many fans think that Lakers head coach Redick can appropriately reduce James' playing time next season, and does not have to increase James' playing time to more than 35 minutes. James should be kept playing around 33 minutes. At this age, James really needs to reduce his average playing time per game, and only needs to increase his playing time in key games. Redick, including Redick, will need to chop up James' playing time as much as possible next season and not let him stay on the court for long periods of a game, which will help save his energy.
Not long ago, Redick stated his coaching policy for the new season after taking office as the head coach of the Lakers. He bluntly said that the core of the Lakers' strategy next season will be around Davis. This means that James' tactical position may be reduced compared to Davis. In fact, it is easy to understand that Redick's approach is to protect James to a certain extent. James was already feeling tired in the second half of the regular season last season, and he really wasn't fit to play big on the court.
Fans are hoping that James can maintain a healthy career going forward. Many fans don't expect him to win the championship again, but only that he can enjoy basketball as much as possible in the rest of his career. And fans also want to cherish the few games of his career.