Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James is playing the best basketball of the season, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons. After James surpassed Ray Allen on the 3-point list, he took a leap in Simmons’ player rankings for an impressive run throughout February. LeBron finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the Lakers’ 107-99 win against the Dallas Mavericks, which marks the seventh performance he’s scored 25+ points this month.
Simmons recognized James for his effort on both ends of the floor. This effort, coupled with teaming up with Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, has led to the Lakers becoming legitimate title contenders.
“I’m just really impressed, the defense, the rebounding, the off-the-ball stuff is about as high level as it gets. We were working on The Ringer 100 stuff, and after the 2nd month of the season, I didn’t think there was any case for him to be a Top 25 player anymore. I don’t think there are nine players playing better than him right now. You go Jokic, SGA, Giannis, Tatum, those four.
“Luka from a pedigree has to still be a Top 10 player. Mitchell, Brunson, Edwards, and then it’s LeBron and Cade are probably the 10 best players in the league right now. There’s been some injuries, we’ve lost some guys, but LeBron has to be in the Top 10. I think he’s a 2nd Team All-NBA guy the way this is going,” Simmons concluded.
Bill Simmons has a strong point. In nine games in February, LeBron has averaged 29.0 points on 55.7% shooting, including 46.0% from deep, 9.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Since the All-Star Break, James has averaged 29.5 points per game.
Lakers superstar Luka Doncic notched a triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists) in a 107-99 win against the Mavericks, joining his teammate LeBron James and Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook in an exclusive group. In recording that triple-double against the Mavericks, Doncic has recorded a triple-double against every team in the NBA. Doncic, James, and Westbrook are the only players in league history to do so.
Doncic also became only the fourth player in Lakers history to achieve a triple-double within his first five games, joining James, Westbrook, and Magic Johnson in the franchise’s elite company. He’s averaging 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.8 steals with the Lakers, including a 32-point performance in a 123-100 win against the Nuggets.
Doncic, James, and the Lakers will host the Timberwolves on Thursday.
