LeBron James haters are stuck on unreal stat Lakers fans are laughing at
Statistical anomalies do happen. With LeBron James at the epicenter of one of those instances, his haters have been enjoying a field day. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Lakers fans are relentlessly laughing at their expense.
Jason Timpf pointed out what is going on and why it is so silly on a recent episode of Hoops Tonight. Numbers can be a great resource in the NBA to tell a story. However, the lack of added context here was creating a narrative that was far from the truth about who James is at this point of his career.
Timpf said, "The stat is real. ... The Lakers were 6.9 points per 100 possessions worse this year with LeBron on the floor versus off. ... It's a statistical outlier. ... He was on the floor most of the time."
Timpf pointed out that every other season of James' career involved him being a positive for his team. His minutes and lineup irregularities led to this year's number. It just simply is not representative of who LeBron is as a player, even at this late stage of his career.
LeBron James' ridiculous longevity has doubters grasping for straws
It can definitely be tough to accept someone heading into their 23rd season in the league as a top 10 player in the NBA. That statement, though, remains as true as it did over 20 years ago. James is still one of the elite superstars playing the sport of basketball.
Timpf pointed out the James was forced to anchor a lot of the Lakers' worst lineups. No one should be unfamiliar with how lackluster the depth in Los Angeles proved to be throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.
With those units performing poorly, James' numbers were dragged down. LeBron may have been able to carry some truly horrid units to success throughout the peak years of his career. At this stage, it is understandable why the Lakers superstar would have some added difficulty with that task.
Some will think that is all the proof that is needed of James' fall from grace. That is a stretch through any lens that one views it from, apart from that of pure hatred and disdain for the man.
What was real in 2024-25 was LeBron averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. That led to an All-NBA Second Team selection and some MVP consideration.
James still posted 7.7 win shares and .152 win shares per-48 minutes in 2024-25. That came with a value over replacement player of 4.7. The thought of James being done as an impactful superstar in the NBA is simply ludicrous.
AFC Notes: J.K. Dobbins, Bo Nix, Broncos, Chargers
Broncos
Bo Nix is entering the second year of his career after his breakout rookie campaign in 2024. Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning is confident Nix is “made of the right stuff” to continue being a highly successful quarterback.
“Bo is made of the right stuff. He’s a little bit older, carries himself the right way. And all of it should help as he moves forward in his career,” Manning said, via Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “I am just happy that Bo is the established starter. For a number of years, they had quarterback competitions. That’s hard on the receivers, the coaches, the play-caller, and the quarterback. Now, they’ve got their guy.”
Manning thinks Nix showed talent beyond his years as a rookie.
“I just don’t see that as being a big factor for him. Rookie quarterbacks are supposed to struggle, and then the game slows down. But, it sure looked like it slowed down a lot for him last year,” Manning said. “Like with C.J. Stroud, Bo didn’t play like a rookie. … I believe experience is the best teacher, and he got great experience last year.”
Manning added that playing under Sean Payton for a second season should be beneficial for Nix.
“The continuity, more than anything else. There are times when guys go into their second year, and they are going on their third coordinator,” Manning said. “He has an experienced head coach in Sean, who is his play-caller. Having that same voice and verbiage is so critical. We expect Sean to be here for a long time, so Bo will use that to his advantage.”
Broncos
Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins had a resurgence in his career after missing 2022 with a knee injury and 2023 with a torn Achilles. His surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, said he grew a close relationship with Dobbins and praised him for his perseverance.
“I can’t say enough about him,” ElAttrache said, via Luca Evans of The Denver Post. “I mean, he’s the kind of guy that I would like to have as a friend forever. He’s that kind of person.”
ElAttrache pointed out that damaged ligaments can never return to their previous health, but Dobbins has worked hard on his rehab.
“You never want to expect they’re going to be 22 years old again,” ElAttrache said. “You can’t turn back the clock and go before, when he was that number one (running back) for the Ravens. But, having said that, his performance was still right there.”
Chargers
Chargers DC Jesse Minter still holds on to rejection letters from graduate assistant jobs that he applied to across the country, accumulating 98 in total. Minter said the rejections are a reminder to be grateful for where he is now.
“Because that’s just how I operate,” Minter said, via Daniel Popper of The Athletic. “It’s just that reminder of the joy that it is, the blessing that it is, the opportunity that you have, not to take it for granted and not to ever feel like you’ve arrived.”
Minter said he’s always tried to operate without an ego and build a culture of letting people know their value.
“A lot of coaches have crazy egos, and I think there’s a difference in being confident in yourself and sure of yourself, and then having an ego,” Minter said. “I’ve always tried really, really hard to not have an ego, to really try to build a situation where everybody feels like they have value, where everybody feels like they’re part of the success.”
- Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Chargers RB Najee Harris participated in three-straight practices last week and was cleared for contact on Friday.
