On Nov 28, LeBron James continued one of the most incredible streaks in NBA history. His 13 points against the Dallas Mavericks marked James' record 1,298 straight game with a double-digit point total. The next closest? Michael Jordan's 866. In fact, the only other active player in the top five leaderboard for consecutive 10-point games is Kevin Durant, and his streak ended in 2017.
And yet, something felt different about LeBron's night against Dallas, different about LeBron as a whole since his return from sciatica pain early in the season. In a word, LeBron feels old. Like, truly old, for the first time in his career. Alley-oops have turned into paint lobs, dunks turned into soaring layups. For any normal NBA player, fans wouldn't have noticed. They do now for the greatest athlete in NBA history.
However, in another odd twist, LeBron's lack of oomph has never mattered less. Through four games, he's posted the lowest scoring average and advanced stats either of his career or since his rookie campaign, and his 22.6 usage rate is the lowest of his career by nearly six points. And yet, Los Angeles' six-game win streak has continued with him integrating back into the lineup, the lone blip coming from a narrow two-point win on the backend of a back-to-back with Utah. And the Lakers' success is seemingly sustainable a quarter of the way through the 2025-26 season: they have posted the league's sixth-best offensive rating (119.4) while averaging only 26.1 assists, and the team's two superstars are getting along famously.
LeBron wouldn't have it any other way.
LeBron's been wanting this situation for years
It has come unasked for, but Austin Reaves' development is the cherry on top for James' late-career wish list. Surprisingly so, to some. There were those that had real trouble wrapping their heads around LeBron ceding full control of a team once he's aged up. Would he do so gracefully? Would he, to recycle his now-viral tweet, be able to 'fit in' instead of 'fitting out'?
But oh, how short the memories of NBA fans are. LeBron has been trying to find an 'heir' in every single one of his teams ever since he returned to Cleveland in 2014. Back then, he was hoping to eventually pass the reins to Kyrie Irving. When LeBron first came to LA, he was hoping eventually to make Anthony Davis the face of the Lakers. Well, Kyrie Irving left, AD was traded, and LeBron is finally able to play with two players that are fully ascending into the highest peaks he's seen yet.
CBS Sports' James Herbert was wrong in a big way when he reported about LeBron's point guard duties upon arrival in Los Angeles:
"[James] needs enough playmaking help that he doesn't feel overburdened, but he wants to take full control of the offense whenever he feels like it. Last year's Lakers made the mistake of surrounding him with teammates who needed the ball in their hands and couldn't space the floor, which was a predictable disaster. The strategy, however, was a direct response to the problem James had in his last year in Cleveland, where he had shooters around him but didn't have secondary creators he trusted."
Even with AD in tow, the Lakers didn't have that true secondary ball-handler and playmaker to take some of the pressure off of James. He didn't take over the Lakers' offense because he "felt like it," but rather because he simply needed to for half a decade to close out his 30's.
For the first time in his career, LeBron can finally cede control to two incredible offensive generators. Why are we surprised that he's doing it so gracefully? It's what he's been wanting for years.