Excellence Over Time: A Dive Into LeBron James’ 23rd Season
By: Andrew Scruggs
Greatness comes in all shapes and forms, and we most commonly recognize greatness in sports. Some examples include Tom Brady in football, Wayne Gretzky in hockey, and LeBron James in basketball.
All of these players are all-time greats in their sports without a doubt, but a problem all players run into, no matter the circumstance,s is Father Time. It always catches up and prevents these legends from sustaining their greatness for even longer.
Some legends play until the metaphorical wheels fall off, and they are merely a shell of the great player they once were. Oddly enough, even after 23 seasons of professional basketball, LeBron James is still a winning player and provides unmatched value to any NBA team, despite what any critic could say.
Although LeBron is losing some of his athleticism, he has transitioned his play style to suit his athletic capabilities. He has moved away from his more aggressive play style, which he made use of as a younger athlete, and leans more on his shooting and passing now.
As of January 13th, 2026, Lebron is in the 95th percentile of NBA players for assists, averaging 6.8 assists per game, which is higher than players such as Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and De’Aaron Fox.
Although his points per game have gone down this season from his career average, his efficiency has gone up as an inverse effect. He has a higher average Field Goal percentage for the season (50.8%) compared to notable scorers such as Jayson Tatum, Lauri Markkanen, and Donovan Mitchell.
LeBron James celebrating his season-high 42 point game
Photo Credits NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nba/lebron-james-oldest-40-points-rcna191155
LeBron’s efficiency is a byproduct of his elite shot selection. This season, LeBron is taking less difficult, contested shots and drives to the basket, and is taking more open shots instead.
Instead of trying to score the majority of the time, he defers to the younger stars on his team, which ensures that whenever he shoots, it's always a good look.
A significant attribute about LeBron is that he is a basketball genius, and that he will always make the winning play, and this has remained true this season. Even though he is still a superstar, he doesn’t opt for the selfish plays to boost his legacy- he makes the winning play.
A prime example of this was on December 4th, 2025, vs. the Toronto Raptors. LeBron had the ball with the game tied in the closing seconds, only having 8 points for the game so far. He could have easily taken the contested shot to extend his 10-point streak to 1,298 games (which is an absurd record), but instead passed the ball to Rui Hachimura, who drained an open three-pointer to seal the game.
When asked in a post-game interview what his thoughts on losing his streak were, LeBron simply replied, saying, “None. We won”
This game is just a testament to the winning attitude of LeBron, and shows that his basketball IQ is unmatched, which brings me to my next point- even though LeBron’s body might be slowing down, his basketball IQ is nowhere but at its peak.
LeBron provides crucial veteran leadership to his team and has experience unmatched by anyone else in the NBA.
Aside from the fact that he has played in 23 NBA seasons (the most of all time), he has made it to 10 NBA finals, and knows better than just about anyone else how to handle pressure and elevate your play under those circumstances.
The Los Angeles Lakers, his current team, have an interesting situation from a coaching standpoint- JJ Redick, their head coach, not only played against LeBron, but is the same age as him.
Redick’s age, however, doesn’t hold him back in any way. He is one of the most respected basketball minds around the NBA, and having him on the bench along with LeBron on the floor is a coaching force to be reckoned with.
Coach JJ Redick pictured next to LeBron getting onto his team for letting their lead be cut down from 22 to 11 points
Photo Credits: Inc.com https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/a-reporter-asked-lebron-james-about-j-j-redicks-in-game-blowup-his-response-is-a-master-class-in-how-to-handle-criticism-backed-by-science/91179920
While Redick obviously draws up most of the plays, LeBron is constantly communicating to his teammates on the floor what to do, and will sometimes even call the play himself in crunch time, which Redick has openly supported, stating that he “trusts LeBron to make his own pitches.”
Not only does LeBron know the Lakers’ playbook like the back of his hand, but he also knows his opponents’. There have been countless instances where he shouts at his teammates where to go on defense when he already knows the upcoming play they have to defend, which you don’t find from any other player in the league.
All that being said, LeBron isn’t the same player as he was 10 or even 20 years ago, and is without a doubt not playing at as high a level as when he was in his prime. However, he is still a winning basketball player and is doing things at the age of 41 that most players in the NBA aren’t able to do.
While LeBron hasn’t completely beaten Father Time, he has most certainly adapted to it and sustained his excellence over his 23-year tenure in the NBA, and still undoubtedly is a winning player, and provides unmatched value to his team that isn’t found anywhere else in the NBA.
