Lebron James presents an anomaly, both physically and statistically. He’s a tank on rocket fuel. James has been putting up some gaudy career numbers. In their championship season last year, the Miami Heat saw Lebron dominate a league that still isn’t ready for him, averaging 27.1 ppg, 6.2 apg, and 7.9 rpg in the regular season. Those are some ridiculous figures. But this is the NBA, and this is the post-Jim Murray world of twitter and trash talk; we always want more.
But is there more? Does Lebron have the capability-and more importantly, the team- to pull of a season that was managed only by this guy? Side note: Robertson missed a triple double average on a season on 3 occasions by either 1 rpg or 1 apg. I’m counting those as triple double seasons. Decimals be damned.
To the matter at hand. Can James accomplish that kind of season?
The Miami Heat are built in a way such that Lebron is set to become a statistical juggernaut. Last year, Miami featured a combination of spot up shooters, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. That’s a shooter or two, the best shooting guard in basketball, and a certain ex-Raptor who’s been itching to pop treys. Lebron averaged 6.2 apg past year, the farthest of his dominant stats from the double digits. To be fair, James was still dealing with a team that had two heads. Although Lebron is the best player on the team, Dwyane Wade was still Miami’s emotional hero, and could you really dispute his status of lore?
Lebron’s 7.9 rpg are not worth talking about. He’ll hit double figures in that category. He’s on a team where he is the clear cut best rebounder and Joel Anthony looks less and less likely to be a guy to play more than 15 minutes a game next season. Let’s move on.
In the upcoming season, expect Lebron to be the official head of this team. Wade is starting to take a more scoring-centric approach to the game. There’s no more doubt in Lebron’s clear ownership of this team. Wade doesn’t need to be the imaginary solution to all of that “closer” nonsense that plagued James for too long. With Wade now doing the cutting and slashing that made him the league’s best 2-guard, and Lebron’s solidified role as the sole initiator in the Heat offense, expect at least one more assist per game. Also, expect more of this silliness:
Where will those other 3 assists be coming from, you ask? Rashard Lewis and Jesus Shuttles…I mean Ray Allen.
As soon as the Heat win a title by flipping the league’s “want a title? get a big” philosophy, they go out and acquire more shooters. Dead-eye shooters, in fact. Ray Allen’s value to Lebron’s assist numbers goes without saying. Rashard Lewis is slightly more interesting. Lewis is coming off a set of seasons in Washington and Orlando where he was seen as very much not living up to expectations. You know what can take you out of a slump? Wide, open jump shots.
So, I have my opinion. But what’s the likelihood that Lebron goes out and accomplishes the greatest piece of basketball statistics? Sure, the rebounds will easily go up, and with the addition of sharp shooters the assists should rise as well, but is the gravity of such a season too much? Can Lebron do it?
Consider one last thing: we’re about to witness a season where Lebron will be playing with the weightless freedom of a monkey-free back.
Mohamed Abdihakim is a journalism student at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Phoenix Suns fan, who is not prepared for the possibility of Nash winning a title in a Lakers jersey. Interests include International basketball, Mad Men , and blues music. Twitter handle: @Abdi_hakim
