Al Horford gives his take on when LeBron James was at the pinnacle of his powers - "That four-year period, that's when he was at his peak"
"King" LeBron James has been around the league for 20 seasons with no signs of slowing down, outside of a couple of injuries here and there.
With LeBron James' consistent dominance throughout his career, Al Horford spoke about it on JJ Redick's "The Old Man and the Three" podcast. He said:
"I believe that it was, probably his last two years in Miami, and when he went back to Cleveland, those first two years, That four year period, I believe, that's when he was at his peak."
During his second-to-last season with the Heat, LeBron James averaged 26.8 points on 56.5% shooting, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists as he led the team to its second-straight championship that season.
In his final season with the Miami Heat, James was still in a dominant nature as he averaged 27.1 points on 56.7% shooting, 6.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists but was unable to win a championship against the San Antonio Spurs.
During his first year when he returned to Cleveland, he averaged 25.3 points on 48.8% shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists but fell short in winning it all in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
While in his second season with the Cavaliers, with an average of 25.3 points on 52.0% shooting, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists, LeBron James got the edge that time against the previous Finals winner in the Warriors.
The "fear factor" in facing LeBron James
There have been some media debates going around lately when it comes to the "fear factor" associated with LeBron James and if there is even one.
Al Horford said that during Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, he experienced some fatigue along with the rest of the team, but it was different for LeBron James.
Horford said:
"He's sitting in the scorer's table, kind of leaning just very casual. He's played every single minute up to that point and he looked unfazed. He looked unbothered and to me that was disturbing. The fitness level, the conditioning level that he's in; I think it's something that people don't realize how good of a shape he's in."
Horford talked about how he was in the best shape of his career during that playoff run, and to see LeBron James continue with that level of dominance and longevity throughout his career, that's his "fear factor".