AP Photo/Tony Dejak
It didn’t take long to notice that LeBron James’ game last season differed from his previous years. Even though the Los Angeles Lakers superstar still excelled, there was a noticeable difference in how he moved and played.
Several factors might explain this change. Not only was he 38 years old and beyond his physical prime, but he also played with a right tendon injury during the playoffs and had capable offensive initiators like Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder to lighten his load.
LeBron played differently last season, to the point where it was revealed that Stephen Curry was still trying to figure him out at one point during the playoffs. While Curry grappled with LeBron’s different style, it was his teammate Kevon Looney who had the opportunity to share the experience.
In a conversation with Sportskeeda, Looney was questioned about how the LeBron from last season compared to 2018 LeBron, notably known for being arguably the best version of LeBron and the one Looney and the Golden State Warriors faced in that year’s NBA Finals.
Per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda:
“It was different. LeBron had 51 [points] in Game 1 against us in 2018. He was at the peak of his powers in that series. He was probably more in control of the game and involved in every play and every timeout in that series. I think last year he was more with going with the flow and picking his spots. He’d turn it on at certain times in the game. In ’18, he was on the whole time and in control of every possession and every play. Last year, he picked his spots. He’s still in control. Even with his voice, you know where he is. But he would let Austin Reaves control the ball a little bit. He would let D-Lo [D’Angelo Russell] get going. He was more cerebral with picking his spots.”
