The Los Angeles Lakers are arguably the best team in the NBA right now, and there’s no doubt that four-time MVP LeBron James is responsible.
Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register broke down James’ impact by looking at how the Lakers outscore opponents when James is on the floor compared to when he is off of it. Even when considering James’ undoubted brilliance, the results are shocking.
“At 34 and fresh off becoming the first player to record a triple-double against all 30 NBA teams, James often seems like he’s running out of new ways to boggle the mind statistically,” Goon wrote. “But here’s another: In 489 minutes on the floor, Lakers’ lineups with James are outscoring opponents by 145 points. Only one player in the league, Jayson Tatum of Boston, has a better plus-minus rating (154), and James is outpacing James Harden, Pascal Siakim and Giannis Antetokounmpo in this critical measurement of team success.
“When James is off the floor? The Lakers are being outscored by 8 points in 188 minutes.”
Despite the fact that Lakers big man Anthony Davis is certainly in the MVP conversation at current, his impact pales in comparison to James.’ When Davis is on the court, the Lakers are a plus-76. When he’s off, they’re still a plus-61.
According to teammate Danny Green, Davis’ and James’ incredible success so far are in part thanks to the fact that both stars push one another.
“The way he does it and how easily he makes it look is kinda unreal,” Danny Green said. “Just making us better and trying to get open looks, he’s not looking for himself, but he’s doing everything. And this year, he’s playing really good defense, and we needed that and he knew that. AD’s been pushing him, they’ve been pushing each other and running the floor. He’s been locked in.”
It will be interesting to see how long the Lakers can keep their recent success going. At 12-2, the Lakers now lay claim to the single best record in the NBA.
If James can stay healthy, it seems quite likely that level of success will continue.
