LeBron James has had one of his best statistical seasons in light of the myriad of injuries, changes, and on-the-fly adjustments coming into this 2017-18 campaign.
But surprisingly his averages of 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game haven’t been enough to propel the Cleveland Cavaliers to the top of the Eastern Conference — having lost seven of their last 10 games.
According to StatMuse, James’ team is playing better with him off the court than when he’s on the court.
While the difference is decently strong on the offensive end, it’s vastly different on the defensive end — showing the Cavs allow 10 points less per 100 possessions without The King on the court.
Even if the eye test suggests differently due to James’ acrobatic blocks and runaway steals during nationally televised games, his less-shown discipline of staying with his matchup has cost him plenty, as teams have incinerated the three-time NBA champion from beyond the arc and at times during transition.
James at 33 years of age, isn’t the same player that would hound anyone attempting to get a fast break opportunity, only doing so occasionally nowadays.
Tyronn Lue has made a younger Jae Crowder his primary defender and has allowed his franchise player to rest more, given how he’s tasked with running the offense.
The Cavs defense ranks the second-worst in the league, a whisker away from the bottom-dwelling Sacramento Kings, and that 3.7 Net Rating doesn’t lie, as the Cavs have managed to play reasonably well on offense without James, but strived without him on defense.