LeBron James deserves All-Defensive nod after 11-year drought

Nobody can accuse LeBron James of "resting" on defense anymore. The narrative of James taking it easy on the defensive end surfaced nearly a decade ago when some accused him of coasting through the regular season and choosing to play defense only in the playoffs.

The Lakers rank No. 1 in defensive rating since the All-Star break thanks largely to James anchoring the defense and guarding multiple positions on the floor. During that timeframe, he is third in defensive win shares (1.7), and he's done so by logging the most minutes (331) in the league. Those metrics would be remarkable for a player in his early 20's, let alone a 40-year-old in James.

When the Lakers traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie during the Luka Doncic deal, they essentially moved their best rim protector and perimeter defender. At the time, it was widely presumed their defense would fall off the rails, especially due to the lack of size in the interior. 

The exact opposite has happened. The Lakers have allowed a league-low 44 paint points since the All-Star break with the trio of James, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt rotating onto bigs with great precision. Even Doncic has held his own when targeted on the pick and roll, which wasn't always the case in his seven-year stint with the Mavericks. 

The Lakers' switch defense wouldn't be possible without James' leadership, which includes constant communication, deploying his teammates to specific spots and reading the opponent's plays on the fly. 

During Thursday's 113-109 overtime win over the Knicks, for example, James took on the assignment of Karl-Anthony Towns and let the bigger Jaxson Hayes guard OG Anunoby, a strategy that caught the Knicks off guard.