In an ideal scenario, that will lighten LeBron's load and prevent him from having to try to carry the team into playoff position as he did most of last season, when the Lakers needed a late push to finish as the Western Conference's seventh seed. Los Angeles succeeded in keeping together the core that gelled late in the campaign and into the postseason. A bitterly disappointing sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Nuggets in that round led James to briefly hint at retirement, but he's since confirmed that he'll be returning for a 21st season. Of particular concern is a foot injury that nearly required season-ending surgery last year and that lingered even as the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals. He played in only 55 of 82 regular-season contests last season and has missed at least 26 games in four of the past five campaigns. The rub, of course, is that James hasn't been able to dodge injuries late in his career. Logic suggests that James has to slow down at some point, yet he remains a physical specimen capable of hanging with players half his age. His defensive numbers slipped a bit - his 1.5 steals-plus-blocks was the lowest mark of his career - but that was balanced by the fact that his 3.2 turnovers per game were his fewest since 2012-13. The ageless wonder averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.2 three-pointers over 35.5 minutes per contest, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 76.8 percent from the charity stripe. That accomplishment was far from a ride-into-the-sunset moment, however, as James once again played at a level reserved for the game's elite. The most enduring image of James' 20th NBA campaign took place on February 7, 2023, when he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the league's all-time leading scorer.
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