Defining LeBron as a player in 2018

What sets LeBron James apart?

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is, in my estimation, the most gifted player to step foot on the hardwood.

There may be players with better careers, like Michael Jordan and Bill Russell. There may be players who were more beloved, like Kobe Bryant.

Even still, James has been able to set himself apart from his peers and the NBA at-large.

Not just statistically but in terms of skill.

To this point in his career, James looks like the most complete player there’s ever been. The way he blends god-like omniscience, scintillating passes, brute force, blinding speed and unbelievable athleticism, at his size, is unprecedented.

At forward, he’s average in height at 6-foot-8 but his 250 pounds of hard-packed muscle are meticulously tended to around the clock with state-of-the-art care.

His body kept at peak condition due to a maniacal obsession with exercise and flexibility.

When he retires, we will surely be witnessing the end of a special era.

After all, James is the first player in 50 years to reach eight straight NBA Finals.

No player has been so polarizing, his play placed under a microscope every time he stepped on the court. A career steeped in the stuff of fairytales; a hometown hero turned villain turned champion who returned home to bring a championship to the people who once felt deserted by their king.

Until the day that James decides to hang ’em up, we get the chance to watch a once in a lifetime player. An experience to be grateful for.

In his 15th season, and still the game’s most elite talent, James continues to set himself apart. At this point, he’s established a blueprint for who he is as a player.

Without any further ado, I’ll take a look at the many roles the most dynamic player in NBA history has and relevant numbers from King.

Witness greatness.

Playmaking

– Youngest player to reach 30,000 career points.

– Averaging a career-high 9.2 assists per game.

– Has contributed more to his team’s offense than any other player (45.0 percent).

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Multifaceted dominance

– First player with 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists in NBA history.

– Leads team in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks, has more such seasons doing so than any other player in NBA history.

Positional versatility

– Guarding five positions and guarding four positions on more than 10.0 percent of his possessions this season.

– James guards small forwards 33.3 percent of the time, power forwards 30.1 percent of the time, shooting guards 17.2 percent of the time, point guards 13.6 percent of the time and centers 5.8 percent of the time.

– He has started games at point guard, small forward and power forward this season while being the biggest player or best perimeter shooter in some lineups.

Interior dominance

– Shooting 76.7 percent around the rim (shots taken with 3 feet of the rim) this season and 73.9 percent on shots within 10 feet of the rim.

– His field goal percentage within 10 feet is the second-highest mark in the league (minimum 5.0 attempts per game).

– He’s making 55.6 percent of his post-up opportunities, third among players with at least 1.0 post-up attempt per game (95th percentile).

– He’s put many players, including big men, on the wrong side of a poster this season with rim-rattling dunks.

– Leads league in and-ones (84).

– Averaging a career-high 8.7 rebounds (7.5 defensive rebounds, also a career-high) per game this season.

Perimeter shooting

– He’s converting a better percentage of shots 28 feet or further away from the rim (52.3 percent on 44 attempts) than any player in NBA history (stats courtesy of FiveThirtyEight’s Owen Phillips).

Interior defense

– Opponents shoot 54.5 percent within six feet of the rim with James guarding them this season, 7.2 percent worse than their season average.

– This is the fourth-best mark among small forwards and ranks 22nd among all players (minimum 50 games played and 3.0 defensive field goal attempts).

Clutch play

– For players with at least three games played, he averages more points per game in the “clutch” than any player this season (4.4 points per game on 55.8 percent shooting from the field).

– He averages 46.9 points per 36 minutes in the clutch this season (a +20.1 point increase from his per 36 numbers on the season).

– Opponents remain scoreless when guarded by LeBron James on last second baskets since his return to The Land.

Durability

– Will play 82 games for the first time in his career.

– Has played (3,015) and averages (37.2) more minutes than any player in the league at 33-years-old.

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*Unless otherwise referenced, stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com