Although Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is entering his 18th year in the association, he is still considered the best player in the NBA.
As a matter of fact, some executive and scouts recently told Tim Bontemps of ESPN that they expect James to once again take his game to the next level once the postseason rolls around.
“If we’re talking about the best player over the course of a season, I’m not picking LeBron,” said an Eastern Conference who picked Giannis Antetokounmpo. “If we are talking about in the playoffs, it’s probably LeBron, because he always is.”
Antetokounmpo, 26, won the last two MVP awards in the NBA. However, the Milwaukee Bucks failed to make the NBA Finals in both of those seasons.
As for James, he saves his best for the postseason. The superstar is one of the most consistent players in the league.
“Until you can find someone otherwise, you can’t prove anyone is more reliable or consistent or important to their team winning than LeBron,” a Western Conference scout said. “People may want to argue [Anthony Davis] is the best player on that team, but the burden of proof is on everyone else right now. He does it everywhere, he does it every single year.”
James, 35, has brought numerous different squads to the NBA Finals.
In fact, James has participated in the NBA Finals with several rosters that were thought to be quite weak.
The four-time MVP has playoff career averages of 28.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. He has been to the NBA Finals 10 times over the course of his career.
Yet, one scout is warning that Dallas Mavericks youngster Luka Doncic may give James trouble in the future.
“If you put a gun to my head and you have to go win a playoff series, I’d say LeBron,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “But I’ll tell you what: That motherf—er in Dallas is coming. … That dude is going to win multiple MVPs.”
There’s no doubt Doncic is rapidly raising through the ranks. However, this is still James’ league.
After all, James just won his fourth championship this past season
