LeBron James: Coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers is still in awe of forward LeBron James. Since turning 38 on December 30, James has been on a scoring tear, averaging 37.0 points per game on 55.4% shooting.
However, LeBron James continued to elevate his top scoring ability against Houston on Monday night, scoring a season-high 48 points on 61.5% shooting. James contributed eight rebounds and nine assists as well, helping the Lakers win 140–132. Ham talked about how extraordinary James’ output has been in his 20th season after the game.
Darvin Ham declared, “I believe it’s historic on many different levels.”
LeBron James‘ competitive spirit was praised by Ham as well. He said: “For him to be at this stage in his career and still be able to perform at the level in which he’s producing, I believe all of us being able to witness it, be a part of it, it shows his competitive spirit, his no-quit mindset. He has just been competing whenever he has been there. It’s incredible to witness.”
LeBron James is currently averaging 29.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.0 steals a game while shooting 51.1% for the season. By a significant margin, James has the highest points per game of any player in their 20th or later season with 29.7PPG.
Legendary Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant, who was in his 20th NBA season, came in second with an average of 17.6 points per game. Simply put, LeBron James has been doing something that is essentially unheard of.
The Lakers increased their record to 20-24 and ended a three-game losing streak with their victory over the Rockets. In the Western Conference, they are still ranked thirteenth. After their defeat, Houston is still last in the West with a record of 10-34.
On his 48-point outing, LeBron James set a season-best
LeBron James discussed how he almost didn’t play due of exhaustion after his season-high 48-point outburst against Houston. The Lakers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back following their difficult one-point defeat to Philadelphia the night before.
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Given his advanced age, LeBron James could have easily sat out this game against the underperforming Rockets. But as James noted, he chose to participate because he believed his team needed him.
“I was really worn out today,” LeBron James said. “We could have easily taken tonight off. But I didn’t feel like it and our ballclub couldn’t use my taking a night off. I wanted to reflect on my last-night loss to Philadelphia. We wanted to see if we could win a game tonight and get it out of my taste buds. I simply wanted to make plays; it was a total team effort,” James stated.
Despite scoring 48 points, the Lakers were only able to win by eight points. So, it seems like James made the right choice.
