3 reasons why LeBron James has proved to be one of the most heavy-duty players in the NBA history
LeBron James will go down as arguably one of the best players in NBA history. James is a 17-time All-Star, selected to six All-Defensive teams, a four-time MVP and a four-time NBA Champion who was the MVP of the finals in all four. His accolades alone make him great, but something James has accomplished like no other has been his longevity and his constancy.
James is entering the 18th season of his career and has played in 1,320 NBA games spanning that time. On top of that, he has played in 266 playoff games. He has made it out of the first round in every playoff he participated in, except for last season. LeBron James has also been to 10 NBA Finals, with eight of those in consecutive seasons between 2010-18.
The wear and tear that has been put on James’s body has been incredible after averaging 38.2 minutes per game for his career. Somehow, James has managed this while still putting up impressive numbers, making his career even more remarkable.
Here's a look at 3 reasons why LeBron James has proved to be one of the most durable players in NBA history:
#1 LeBron James’s workload
Throughout his career, every team LeBron James played for had some expectation of it. James changed the Cleveland Cavaliers into a winning franchise, taking them to five NBA Finals in his 11 seasons. During those seasons with the Cavaliers, James had to carry less than capable rosters to the NBA Finals.
When’s the last time ya watched LeBron James highlights? https://t.co/50xU2apSk5
He has been the primary scoring option for his team throughout James's career, letting the offense run through him. His career usage percentage is 31.5, with just two seasons under 30%. LeBron James was not just the leading scorer on his team, he also was the leading creator, averaging 36.6% of his team's assists for his career while going under 30% only once.
LeBron was often the driving force for all his teams and incredibly, he has kept that up for so long.
#2 LeBron James’s longevity and ability to stay healthy
Even though LeBron James has struggled to stay healthy in three of the last four seasons, that is a very new issue for him. Before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, he had never played less than 60 games in a season.
Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for moving up to 19th on the all-time GAMES PLAYED list! https://t.co/cNDQKpSA7h
To expand on that, in 15 seasons from 2003-18, LeBron James played in less than 70 games just twice. That is insane because of the workload that James puts on his body every night. It would make sense to pick up an annoying muscle injury through that time, but playing over 70 games in 13 of 15 seasons is impressive durability. This is not even counting the numerous long and grueling playoff runs.
The issue now is that it seems to have caught up with him. James has only managed to play over 60 games once in the last three seasons. And that season saw the Lakers get a long COVID-19 break and win the NBA Finals.
This season, James has already missed almost half of the Lakers games, even though it's still early in the year.
#3 LeBron James playoff success
Despite all the regular season accomplishments LeBron James has had, the playoffs have been a massive part of his success. Like the regular season, his team relies on him to lead them in scoring and creating for others.
.@KingJames' playoff resume:
👑 Games played: 258 (2nd)
👑 Games missed: 0
👑 Minutes played: 10,728 (1st)
👑 Points scored: 7,423 (1st)
👑 Assists: 1,854 (2nd)
👑 Closeout Win percentage: 79.2% (1st)
(📸: @Lakers | @kirkgoldsberry) https://t.co/NyBbzlv8MS
His playoff success only added to his workload as he was playing almost over 70 games each season and then nearly 20 extra intensive playoff games for eight seasons. James has averaged 41.5 minutes per game in the playoffs, leading in minutes per game four times.
LeBron James is always expected to be the best player on his team throughout the regular season and through a long playoff run. He carries the weight of massive minutes and extended seasons where he sometimes plays nearly over 90 games. That is what makes him one of the most durable and enudring NBA players in history.