LeBron James Stats: The recent slump suggests Father Time may finally be catching up with the Lakers star

After escaping Father Time for several years, LeBron James showed signs of slowing down in his 22nd year.

The Lakers have had a hot start to the season, but their recent downward spiral has been particularly concerning for LA and James. The Lakers suffered an ugly 29-point loss to the Timberwolves on Monday, and James had 10 points (on 4 of 16 shooting) and had six turnovers in 31 minutes of play.

James’ performance is a continuation of a slump that began nearly two weeks ago. Unsurprisingly, his slump coincided with a downward spiral for the Lakers, who have lost five of their last seven games.

As James and the Lakers search for answers, here’s a closer look at what went wrong for them and what they could change going forward.

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LeBron James Stats

While James’ numbers for the season are beyond stellar for a 22-year veteran, some numbers are particularly alarming.

In 21 games, James averaged 22.0 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from 3-point range. His scoring average is the lowest since his rookie season, his shooting percentage is the lowest since the 2006-07 season and his incredible streak of double-digit scoring games has been threatened twice – Monday at Minnesota and during an 11-point performance against…Phoenix on October 28th.

When it comes to his shooting performance, James’ last six games have been particularly tough. Since November 23rd, he has averaged 16.8 points per game while shooting 39.8 percent from the field. His 3-point shooting has eluded him as he has missed 27 of his last 30 3-point attempts, including 19 straight misses over the last four games.

After Monday’s loss in Minnesota, James told reporters that his game was frustrating.

“It’s the rhythm,” he said. “The last couple, three or four games I just got out of rhythm.”

Three of James’ four missed shots from deep on Monday particularly showed that his rhythm has been lost of late.

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Monday’s worryingly atypical result is particularly notable given that it was the second end of a back-to-back game. On Sunday, James scored 27 points on 28 shots (including 0-for-9 3-point shots) in a narrow win over the Jazz

Entering his historic 22nd NBA season, James set a personal goal of playing in all 82 regular season games for the Lakers. Recent struggles have called that strategy into question as it may not be in the best interest of him or the team.

“That’s a goal, but we’ll see,” James told ESPN after Monday’s loss. “That’s something I’m not discussing right now.”

Lakers head coach JJ Redick was honest in his assessment of James’ goal, saying, “I don’t know if it’s in his best interest and our best interest for him to do that, but if he’s good and he’s feeling good, then He should play.”

Monday’s game against Minnesota was LA’s fourth straight game this season. The Lakers have six more consecutive games on their schedule for the remainder of the year. James’ numbers on the second end of back-to-back games paint a picture of his non-stop struggles – his scoring output and efficiency declining compared to his season averages while his turnovers increasing.

Since joining the Lakers in 2018, James has appeared in over 70 percent of the team’s games twice – playing in 67 of 71 games during the COVID-19-impacted 2019-20 season and 71 during the 2023-24 season of 82 games.

Just a few weeks away from his 40th birthday, James isn’t getting any younger. The recent discourse between him and Redick could be a sign of a change in approach over the final 61 games of the regular season.

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How old is LeBron James?

James is 39 years old. He was born on December 30, 1984 and will turn 40 at the end of the month.

James is poised to become the 30th player to play in an NBA regular season game after turning 40.

How many seasons did LeBron James play?

The 2024-25 season will be James’ 22nd season in the NBA. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

James is one of two players in NBA history to complete 22 seasons. Hall of Famer Vince Carter’s career spanned from 1998 to 2020.