LeBron James had a strong game, but he wasn’t even the main storyline in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 1 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. It’s both a testament to his greatness and that he doesn’t have to do as much with a strong supporting cast. He finished with a stat line of 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots and was a part of the Lakers’ run late in the fourth quarter that put the game away.
At age 38, he became the oldest player in NBA playoff history to put up at least 20 points, ten rebounds and five assist, as per StatMuse.
LeBron today:
21 PTS
11 REB
5 AST
3 BLKOldest player in NBA history with a 20/10/5 playoff game. pic.twitter.com/0i5lh57CXm
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 16, 2023
Although the Lakers made some key additions (and subtractions) at the trade deadline, they still managed to overcome a poor 2-10 start to the season with LeBron James still leading the way. The Lakers are deep enough and talented enough now that they don’t completely fall apart when James gets his customary rest on the bench. That should help keep his minutes fresh for however long they are in the playoffs.
James is still playing at an incredibly high level despite being one of the oldest players in the NBA now. This season he averaged 28.9 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists with shooting splits of 50 percent shooting from the field, 32.1 percent shooting from the 3-point and line and 76.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
James holds playoff averages of 28.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.7 steals with shooting splits of 49.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 74 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
Source: https:/clutchpoints.com
