I wrote about this young actor for VICE Sports. He is also an old NBA player from Ohio. Did you know that according to the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, Michael Jordan was the only player to score a non-dunk field goal in the original Space Jam? That Space Jam 2 role is perfect, because LeBron has forgotten how to shoot, but he can still create buckets.
LeBron James is still LeBron James. He is still the NBA’s most fearsome force as he comes splashing into the paint, still a marvel in the way he doesn’t so much weave through defenses as puncture them, still startling in the way he transitions from barreling broad-shouldered charge to feathery floater. He dunks as hard as he ever has, which is as hard as anyone has ever dunked, and is still the NBA’s most efficient paintball creator. He is also, increasingly, an anachronism.
The Golden State Warriors’ free-flowing turbo offense and Stephen Curry’s rangeless riflery have both dominated and redefined the NBA for going on two years, now, which leaves Playoff LeBron’s game—ploddingly insistent iso sets initiated 30 feet from the basket—looking downright antique. There are still a few players who can do what he does, but it’s easy to foresee a future in which no one even bothers to try.
[Read the rest after this jump.]
