NBA Click & Roll: LeBron's disastrous season is over. Was it his worst ever?
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This is where we bring you exclusive content from the Paste BN NBA staff. Plus, we catch you up on the *biggest* moments, quotes and NBA news you may have missed this week.
WORST SEASON OF LEBRON'S CAREER?
In our weekly NBA roundtable, which is published on Thursday mornings, Paste BN Sports' Jeff Zillgitt, Martin Rogers, AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Matt Eppers debate a burning question. This week: Was this the worst season of LeBron's career?
Zillgitt: In the literal sense, the answer is no. This season, he averaged more points, rebounds and assists and shot better from the field and 3-point range than he did his rookie season, and his player efficiency rating and value over replacement player numbers are not the worst of his career. But we’re not comparing a 34-year-old LeBron to a 19-year-old LeBron. We’re comparing a 34-year-old LeBron coming off a fantastic 2017-18 season to MVP-era LeBron. Let’s look at James from 2007-08 – when he began his stretch of 11 consecutive All-NBA first team honors.
Yes, he’s had worse scoring, shooting, rebounding and assist numbers in the past 12 seasons, but this season was his worst PER and worst offensive box score plus-minus since 2006-07, and his worst VORP since his rookie season, according to basketball-reference.com. He also posted his worst wins shares total since his rookie season.
But even more telling than advanced statistics is this: James didn’t lead his team to the playoffs for the first time since 2004-05.
Yes, James’ worst season is still better than a high percentage of most players’ best seasons. But you have to look at it in the vacuum of LeBron vs. LeBron. And this season didn’t measure up to the standards he has set.
Rogers: Without any question, it's the least successful season he's had since joining the NBA – and it's hard to see how things could have gone much worse. It might not be the most painful; losing in the NBA Finals six times probably provided a more immediate sting than the drawn-out spiral that afflicted the Lakers this time. But yes, this has been a failure on every level. There was a tweet going around the other day that pointed out the end date of all of James’ seasons. Typically, it's around the middle of June. This time? The end of March. That pretty much says it all.
Neuharth-Keusch: As Jeff noted, this goes well beyond statistics, because James' 2018-19 averages of 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists have been recorded just seven times in NBA history. But with the way the season went, that means very little. James is the second-best player ever. The expectation, whether you agree with it or not, is for him to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness, and this Lakers season — both on the court and off — was the furthest thing from great.
It must be noted that the Lakers were marred by injuries — the most notable, of course, was James missing 17 consecutive games — and thus never had a chance to truly jell. What if James (55 total games played) never went down on Christmas Day, when the Lakers were 20-14 and in prime position for the playoffs? What if Lonzo Ball (47 games played) and Brandon Ingram (52 games played) stayed healthy? What if Anthony Davis never requested a trade from New Orleans?
It was a season of what-ifs for the Lakers, with the only certainty being this: James' season was the worst of his career, and it's not particularly close.
Eppers: From a statistical standpoint, James' season has been right in line with his career numbers. But James transcends mere stats, and in terms of the expectations and hype for the season, this one probably does rank as one of his worst.
The Lakers had plans of being a playoff team, with the young surrounding core improving by sharing the court with an all-time great. Sure, injuries derailed James mid-season and others along the way, but even when James was on the court, presumed young building blocks like Ball, Ingram and Kyle Kuzma showed only marginal improvement at best. In fact, Ingram looked better without James on the court until he, too, was sidelined.
The Davis saga and resulting locker room malaise only heightened tensions, leading to a summer that will feature a hoped-for roster overhaul and likely a coaching change.
CATCH UP AROUND THE LEAGUE
— Russell Westbrook on Tuesday night became just the second player in NBA history to record at least 20 points, 20 assists and 20 rebounds in a game. He dedicated the performance to his late friend Nipsey Hussle, who was shot and killed in Los Angeles on Sunday. Hussle, a Grammy-nominated rapper and community activist, was a noted NBA fan and was close friends with many players, and his death sent shock waves through the league.
— Shaquille O'Neal delivered the ultimate compliment to the new Superman, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
— Kevin Durant was ejected on Tuesday night just hours after he was fined (along with Draymond Green and Steph Curry) for publicly criticizing officials following Friday's loss to Minnesota. A battle with the referees is one the Warriors can't win.
— Speaking of Curry (y'know, the greatest 3-point shooter of all-time) ... apparently he's had vision problems his entire career.
— Zion Williamson, who's entering the NBA with LeBron-type expectations, could be looking at the biggest rookie shoe deal since, well … ever.
— Manu Ginobili's emotional jersey retirement ceremony was must-see TV.
— The top thing Channing Frye will remember about LeBron is ... his bad breath?
— Rejoice, Wizards fans. The Ernie Grunfeld era is over.
— Lonzo Ball has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster.
— It's almost playoff time! Stay up-to-date on the standings and projected matchups with our postseason predictor. If the season ended today, we'd see a Thunder-Warriors first-round series.
Check back next week for everything that went down in the Association.