When asked who the best player in the NBA is at this juncture, it’s likely plenty of folks would answer with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. Jokic seemingly defies logic with his combination of size and skill, as he’s a lumbering big man who’s capable of stacking up triple-doubles like they’re pancakes.
Yet, Jokic isn’t without holes in his game. Namely, he isn’t exactly renowned for his defensive chops. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins mentioned that Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is impacting both sides of the ball when arguing that the 40-year-old is indeed the NBA’s best player instead of Jokic.
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“Are we sure that Nikola Jokic is the best player in the league?” Perkins asked. “Are we sure about that? Because I would have to argue, and I would have to say right now today, that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. Here’s why I say it — the best player in the NBA gets it done on both ends of the floor. LeBron James is getting it done at the age of 40 on both ends of the floor at a high level. He can guard 1 through 5 defensively. Offensively, we know what he can do. Damn it, he can damn near play 1 through 5. I would argue if they need him to play the center position, he’s the second-best center in the Western Conference behind Nikola Jokic, especially with Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively being out for the Dallas Mavericks.”
James showed in the Lakers’ recent win over the Los Angeles Clippers on March 2 that he’s still capable of pulling off spectacular plays on the less glamorous side of the floor. With less than a minute remaining in the contest and the Lakers ahead by just five points, he came up with a clutch block on Clippers guard Kris Dunn that helped put the game away.
Great block by LeBron, that landing though.
pic.twitter.com/VwnlIlJiIl— KF (@klutchfamilia) March 3, 2025
James has probably been more impactful on defense than his numbers say so far in the 2024-25 season. He’s averaging what is tied for a career-low in steals with 0.9 along with 0.6 blocks per game across 55 games played so far in his 22nd campaign in the NBA.
Fans were seemingly worried that the Lakers’ defensive effectiveness would take a major dip after the team traded big man Anthony Davis, but that hasn’t been the case. Rather, Los Angeles has held the top defensive rating in the league since Feb. 1, and James deserves some credit for that fact.
James will attempt to help the Lakers to another standout defensive showing when the team plays the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. The Pelicans have one of the worst records in the Western Conference this season but have been playing competitive basketball of late, as they are 5-5 over their last 10 games played.
The Lakers will be gunning for their seventh victory in a row. The team currently holds the longest active winning streak of any squad in the West and the second-longest streak in the NBA behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers.
