2024-25 Los Angeles Lakers Player Review: LeBron James

Going into his 22nd NBA season, many wondered whether it would finally be the year in which LeBron James began to slow down and show signs of aging. Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar played in his most games since 2018, finished sixth in NBA MVP voting and made All-NBA Second Team.

And this was a season unlike any other for James as he had to do a complete role switch in the middle of the season following the Lakers’ shocking acquisition of Luka Doncic in February. While LeBron had been embracing a bit more of an off-ball role with the offense running primarily through Anthony Davis while Austin Reaves also took on a more prominent role, Doncic coming on changed everything and the 40-year-old took it all in stride.

With Davis sent away in the Doncic trade, the Lakers were without their defensive centerpiece, so James took on that role of defensive communicator, being far more consistently engaged on that end than he has been in years. With more small-ball lineups being employed, LeBron also saw himself playing center more often and was regularly battling in the paint and crashing the glass. All this while being arguably the Lakers’ most consistent 3-point shooter in his new role.

It was truly an unreal season for James, who continues to defy what any player should be capable of at this stage of his career. He appeared in 70 games for the Lakers, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists while shooting 51.6% from the field, 37.6% from 3-point range and a career-best 78.2% from the free throw line.

2024-25 Highlight

When the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic, he was still recovering from a calf injury so the Lakers had not only dealt away Anthony Davis, but didn’t even have their new superstar on the court yet. But no worries as James had everything in hand.

In the Lakers’ victory over the New York Knicks mere hours before the trade was announced, and with Davis sitting out, LeBron put on a show at Madison Square Garden finishing with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in a dominant win. He followed that up in the Lakers’ first game post-trade with 26 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals in a 25-point victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

But then to top it off, squaring off against longtime rival Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, LeBron was unstoppable as he recorded 42 points and 17 rebounds, both season-highs, along with eight assists in another Lakers victory in which he became the first player over 40 years old to score 40 points in a game.

2025-26 Outlook

At this point, no one is doubting whether LeBron James can keep up this level of play as he seems to thrive on proving doubters wrong. It is, however, LeBron’s final year under contract with the Lakers and he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

This very well could be James’ final year with the franchise, and for the first time in his career he is not the focal point of the team he is on as Luka Doncic has taken that mantle. The goal of winning a championship always remains the same, but every move LeBron makes will be watched closely.