LeBron James Is The First Player Since Jerry West To Average 26 Points, 8 Assists At Age 32

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has placed himself in the company of Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West, owner of the Golden State Warriors and the silhouette of the official NBA logo.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West are the only two players in NBA history to average 26.0 points and 8.0 assists at 32 years old. James, whose averaged had seemingly plateaued at 25.9 points per game, has averaged 27.7 points per game since Kevin Love’s injury. That slight uptick in his scoring, in which James scored 30 or more points three times in a seven game span, is mainly due to James averaging 32.0 points per game in March.

James, who has averaged 25.3 points in each of his last two seasons, has his newfound three-point shot to thank for the boost in his scoring averages.

Newfound not because James has never been able to knock down a three-point shot. James was a solid catch-and-shoot player with the Miami Heat, shooting above 36.0 percent from three-point range in each of his last three seasons with the Heat and his 40.6 percent conversion rate in 2012-13 is still his career-high for three-point field goal percentage.

Newfound because James has never been this efficient when shooting off-the-dribble threes.

Since the NBA started recording the stat in 2013-14, James three-point percentage of 36.0 on pull up attempts is the higher this year than it’s ever been.

If you’ve watched James throughout his career, you’d have no issue believing that this is likely the most efficient he’s ever been on pull up threes.

James, who rightfully has increased his scoring load with the injury to one of the Big Three, should be expected to put up these type of points with Love out. Although J.R. Smith is set to return to the court as early as Thursday, Smith’s production should only impact Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver, the Cleveland Cavaliers other catch-and-shoot specialists on the wings.

Love, who should return within two weeks before the playoffs, will have seven games to readjust and in those seven games, the Big Three is likely to sit out their Big Three in at least two games as they have games scheduled against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat in that time frame. While the Magic are a team with no chance to reach the playoffs, Tyronn Lue may want to avoid the bait of putting his Big Three in what could be a physical and intense game with the Heat.

James, who is only making 68.6 percent of his free-throw attempts, has a great chance of averaging 26.0 points per game if he increases his free-throw conversion rate.

As far as his passing. James sees the court better this season than he ever has, which is saying something considering that he entered the season with 6,805 total assists in the regular season and 1,348 assists in the playoffs. James, who is one of the most cerebral players in NBA history, throws precise and flashy passes with easy and dexterity and though his shooters aid his assist totals, he aids his shooters with the passes he delivers.

They’re on time, thrown with energy and, as James says, custom-made for the shooter he’s passing to. I mean, James is so good at passing that it’s literally part of his DNA. I can say that because James’ son, LeBron James Jr., has exceptional court vision for his age.

There are two new plays that James has been known for orchestrating this season. “Punch. Snap. Hammer” and the “UCLA Seal”.

Punch. Snap. Hammer:

UCLA Seal:

Both plays require James to make an otherwordly pass on time and on the money.

James, who is the face of the NBA, is as unique a force as West was in the league. The only other player to average 26.0 points and 8.0 assists per game at 32.

While he wasn’t the physical force James is and didn’t have his mutant-like athleticism, West was the ultimate competitor, a great jump shooter, stellar in transition and a floor general who used his knowledge of his game to get his teammates easy shots.

West was a superb rebounder for his size and position, especially on the offensive boards. He had great court vision and although we’re not talking about the Showtime Lakers, West loved to push the pace. The way he attacked in the fullcourt opened up gaps and seams to fill in beside him and you could count on West to find them from a score.

Although there was no three-point shot in West’s era, he did a lot of his damage from the midrange area. West wouldn’t be afraid to put a player in the post and shoot a fadeaway jumper, a shot James is also known to utilize on a consistent basis.

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