Juliet Traylor

LeBron James is one of the most talked about NBA players of the century. James’ shot charts and advanced statistics illustrate his talent and magnify his most successful seasons.

Before we get to advanced stats, let’s take a look at this season’s shot chart:

The 2019-2020 season marks LeBron’s 17th NBA season, and his second year with the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron is known to be a heavy shooter. As the chart depicts, he was a heavy shooter this season as well. He was most effective at the left side of the hoop on the 3-point line and directly under the basket. LeBron had a heavy amount of shots taken from the 3-point line, with most being on or around league average. Only a few of his shots taken from the field were below league average. This season, the Lakers were on track to secure a playoff position before their season was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lakers were ranked first in the Western conference with 49 wins and just 14 losses. LeBron worked well with Anthony Davis, and together, they led the Lakers to the positon as top-seed in the Western Conference. This season was an improvement from last season, when LeBron battled a torn groin injury and missed 27 games, which was a career high for LeBron.

Shot charts vary from season to season, and LeBron’s 2008-2009 season’s chart looks a little different.

In 2008, LeBron was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was entering the peak of his career. LeBron was a heavy shooter, clearly depicted by the amount of dots on this chart. What stands out is just how above league-average LeBron was right under the net. The green we are seeing at the left. of the chart on the 3-point line is almost the same as his current-day field goal percentage under the net. Although LeBron was at a career high, his teammates were not on his same level. This 2008-2009 season was disappointing for the Cavaliers, finishing last in the Eastern conference with a whopping 19 wins and 46 losses.

A player’s PER stands for Player Efficiency Rating. With a league average PER of 15, it is then calculated by adding for good plays, like points scored, and subtracting for bad ones, like turnovers. PER does not determine a player’s ranking, but it does give some insight into their efficiency on the court. And usually, the highest ranked players have pretty high PERs. It is understood that players who have a PER above 30 are usually MVP-level players. This chart shows LeBron’s PER every year of his career.

Those who follow advanced stats would know that this chart’s PER depicts a very strong offensive player. There is a come-up, beginning with his rookie year in 2003, to his career high PER in 2008. LeBron has been a consistent player in the top-ten PER. With an exception of his rookie year in 2003, which was his lowest PER in a season, he has been in the top of the charts. Beginning in 2004 through present day, LeBron has had a spot in the top-ten. He held the league’s highest PER from 2007 to 2012. These same years were LeBron’s most memorable years. As we see in LeBron’s shot charts, he is a shot-heavy player. PER weighs offensive plays heavily, keeping LeBron in the top-ten for the past 16 years. PER does not factor in overall defense, making it indeterminate of all aspects of a player. However it supplies good offensive insight. LeBron is currently second behind Michael Jordan in career PER, and might fall another spot to his teammate, Anthony Davis. LeBron has been averaging a lower PER than his career average over the last five six years. This foreshadows LeBron falling to Anthony Davis for number three all-time by the time he retires.

Hopefully these charts give some insight into the strength of LeBron as an offensive player. He has contributed to a few teams over his long career and plays aggressively in any setting. LeBron said that he is not considering retirement any time soon, and will be one to watch after the abrupt end to this tragic season. We should keep an eye on LeBron as he continues his legacy on the court.