Even before the recent injury news, LeBron James was the most difficult player to project for this season.
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Much like Tom Brady did in the NFL, James has broken the expected production-vs.-aging curve by remaining elite at an age and experience level when almost every other player in history has already retired. Last season — his 22nd in the NBA and in which he turned 40 — James remained in the top 10 in the NBA in both fantasy points per game (seventh) and total fantasy points (ninth). He also played in 70 games for the second straight season, the first time he's accomplished that since he played with the Cavaliers almost a decade ago. In his first five seasons with the Lakers, James had averaged only 55.6 games per season (two of those seasons were shortened by about 10 games due to the pandemic).
On the other hand, James will miss the preseason and the start of the season due to sciatica. It isn't clear exactly when he might return or whether this will be a lingering issue. James is also still dealing with the likely role changes that will be required in playing a full season next to new teammate Luka Doncic.
He has been enigmatic about where he is in his career. He chose to play on an expiring deal this season and announced he won't necessarily wait for his son Bryce James, a freshman at Arizona, to make the NBA before retiring because they are on different timelines. He even teased a big «Second Decision» announcement this week that many speculated would be a retirement announcement but instead turned out to be an advertisement gimmick.
For more on where to draft LeBron James:
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