LeBron James' scoring Impact on the LA Lakers: A look at how he's Inching closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record
It feels like every day LeBron James does something on the court and makes NBA history. He has consistently racked up the "oldest player to..." records and is now also the youngest and only the second player ever to reach 38,000 career points. In last night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, James hit a mid-range jumper midway through the first quarter which put him over the 38K mark. He finished the game with 35 and now sits at 38,024 points.
James has carried the burden of scoring for the Lakers for years now. Anthony Davis is rarely on the floor due to his constant injury woes, which leaves James with more scoring opportunities, attempts and overall touches. We are certain that James is going to surpass the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar this season, it is only a matter of when.
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Crazy thing is LeBron James is the oldest player in NBA history to average 30+ points per game in a season when he did so last year at age 37.
And this season he’ll become the oldest player ever to average 25+ PPG at age 38. twitter.com/getnickwright/…
James' scoring has been the only positive for LA Lakers fans this season. He is averaging 29.2 points per game, the 7th-highest in the league, and on incredible efficiency. He is shooting 50.7% from the field, with an effective FG% of 54.9% while shooting over 60% from the two-point range. The King is also above his career average from the charity stripe, averaging 74.9% from the line with 195 total attempts.
However, his 3-point shooting has been abysmal lately. He is shooting at a career-low 28.3% clip from beyond the arc while attempting 6.6 triples a game. He started the season around his career average and then had a hot shooting stretch in November when he averaged 49%, but has been terrible ever since. Since that hot stretch, he has been averaging 23% from the 3-point range.
Does anyone out there care that the same LeBron James who's on the doorstep of becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer is last in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage?
Regardless of his poor shooting from downtown, LeBron James is the LA Lakers' only glimmer of hope. He is now only a few games away from breaking the NBA's all-time scoring record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has held for over three decades.
When can we expect LeBron James to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer?
LeBron James currently sits at 38,024 points, which is just 364 points shy of the record. If he goes on at the current pace of 29.2 points per game, he will take 10-14 games to accomplish the feat. The 10th game from today (Jan 16th), is the game against Indiana on February 2nd and the 14th game is against the Warriors on February 11th.
If James has a 40 or 50-point outburst, then we can expect him to break the record sooner, around the Indiana game. However, if he puts up a few bad scoring games, he can achieve the total against his nemesis-turned-friend Steph Curry.
LeBron James has had two 40-point games and 13 30-point games so far this season.
Warriors forward and future Hall of Famer Draymond Green once joked that he will miss his own game to watch James break the record in person.
trib.al/MRNN9Ce“If LeBron James is passing the all-time scoring record and we have a game, I’m going to LeBron’s game and witness history.”
Draymond Green is giving Steve Kerr a heads up 😆 trib.al/MRNN9Ce
If LeBron James breaks the record during the Warriors matchup, Green will get his wish without missing a game.
The LA Lakers are 13th in the West right now as they await the return of Anthony Davis. Laker Nation, NBA royalty, sports analysts and basketball fans from around the world are eagerly waiting for the night James breaks the record.