Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant has been impressed with LeBron James’ longevity as the Los Angeles Lakers star navigates through his 23rd season in the NBA.
“I feel like LeBron still getting better at his game,” Durant said during a Wednesday appearance on the Unguarded podcast. “I feel like he recently mastered his game at like 38. He added a three-pointer, he added a fadeaway, more consistent. You know what I’m saying? I look at it that way.”
Durant’s game has aged gracefully as well, with the two-time NBA Finals MVP in the midst of his 19th season in the association.
James has also been impressed with Durant’s long-term efficiency.
“He hasn’t shot under 50 percent since like 2012,” James said regarding Durant during his Mind the Game podcast on July 1 (h/t Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation) “And in a league that doesn’t talk about efficiency enough, because I’m one of those efficiency guys. Like I hate going out there, just chucking up shots or looking at the box score and I was maybe 8-for-23 or 9-for-25 or 6-for-18.”
“We haven’t had a scorer as equipped as KD in our league, ever,” he added.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment of James’ career in which he was the most dominant considering his defensive prowess during his Miami Heat tenure as well as his all-around impact in his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he’s been able to expand his shooting range as a member of the Lakers.
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, James has attempted 6.2 triples per game while connecting on 36.4 percent of them. In his career leading up to his 2020-21 campaign, he averaged 4.3 three-point attempts per game and hit just 34.4 percent of the long-range shots.
James has also recorded an average shot distance of 13.0 feet away from the basket as a Laker compared to his 11.8-foot average shot distance with the Cavaliers and Heat (via Basketball Reference).
While the 40-year-old’s age could also be a factor in his increased tendency to pull up and shoot rather than drive to the basket, he hasn’t sacrificed his efficiency in order to do so. James has shot 51.2 percent from the field during his time in Los Angeles.
This season, James and the Lakers sit at 18-7 through 25 games.
