There is no denying that LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In fact, there are those who believe that James actually is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), even better than Michael Jordan. It seems that this will be a never-ending debate, but LeBron's legacy isn't done as he continues to play at the highest level in his 15th season in the league. James turns 33 in December, but the way he has performed so far this season makes it hard to believe that he is in his mid 30's.
Great season so far for LeBron
It has been an extremely interesting NBA season so far, as we've seen some amazing team performances but also individual performances as well.
One of the most talked-about teams have been the Cleveland Cavaliers, and rightfully so. The defending Eastern Conference champions started off the season slowly, but lately, they've been playing great basketball. The Cavaliers are now on a six-game winning streak as they hold the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with an 11-7 record. One of the reasons behind their recent success has been the amazing performances from their leader - LeBron James.
Throughout the 18 games of the season so far, James is averaging 28.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting nearly 59 percent from the field. Pretty impressive for a guy in his 15th season in the league. James scored 33 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists in the Cavs' most recent victory on Wednesday against the Nets as he once again showed why he's the best player in the league right now.
With this win and LeBron's another stellar performance, his player efficiency rating (PER) increased up to 30.56. That is the second-best PER in the NBA right now, only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo's 30.59. While this may not sound like a big of a deal right now, history has shown us that this is an extremely important stat when it comes to LeBron James.
Fifth MVP in store for 'The King'?
James has won four MVP awards so far in his career and in each of his MVP seasons, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, his PER was 30+. We've already mentioned that his PER is 30.56 right now and if he can keep up this pace, along with his team winning, there is no reason why LeBron James shouldn't be looking at his fifth MVP award this season.
LeBron's PER has gone over 30. He's had four seasons with 30+ PER in his career, the four seasons he won MVP.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) 23. studenoga 2017.
He also leads the league in the fourth quarter scoring with 10.0 points per quarter, another important stat for those who question LeBron's leadership in clutch situations. We are only 18 games into the season, but it looks like we are witnessing history. Even in his 15th season in the league, at the age of 32, LeBron James might be having the best season of his career. If he ends up winning the MVP this season, James would become the third oldest player in NBA history to win the award. Michael Jordan leads this list as he won his fifth MVP at the age of 35.
