Hey, let’s talk about LeBron James, who put up 24-4-7-2 against the Raptors on Sunday.
As I’m sure you can’t possibly not know if you’re reading this, LeBron turned 41 recently and is averaging 22.6 points per game through 23 games, which would be his lowest scoring output in 22 years. On the one hand, that would seem to indicate that he is at last beginning to show some age and that he might not be far off from no longer being a 20-point scorer anymore. On the other hand, the fact that he’s almost averaging 23 per game at 41 and is only slightly off from his regular numbers in every other category is nothing short of remarkable. It’s not surprising at this point, but it’s still totally mind-boggling.
What’s especially crazy though is that if you throw out LeBron’s stats over the first few weeks of the season – when he was working his way back from an injury – his numbers are still on par with his vintage seasons. In fact, in his nine games in January so far, LeBron is averaging 26.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, which are basically the same numbers he was putting up with the Heat 15 years ago. What that means from a fantasy perspective is that if you have LeBron on your team, you still have THE LeBron James and not a hollow facsimile of him akin to when Shaq was a Celtic or Paul Pierce was a Wizard. For someone who’s in his 23rd season, that’s nothing short of bonkers.
The downside to owning LeBron at this point is that the arrows are still pointing ever so slightly down for him; when Austin Reaves returns, it makes sense that LeBron will see his scoring dip again, and because of his age, you do have to worry about him getting occasionally rested from here on out. That said, because the Lakers are going to have to fight to stay out of the play-in round, LeBron should still be playing regularly down the stretch of the season, meaning he’s not someone you need to look to sell.
In short: LeBron is still really really good and is improbably a way safer bet to still be helping out your fantasy team in March than, say, Trae Young. Did I mention that’s nuts? That’s pretty nuts.
Other notes from this weekend:
Domantas Sabonis made his return to the Kings over the weekend after missing two months. His numbers are down across the board through 13 games this year, but with the Kings possibly going on a fire sale soon (although who knows with them), Sabonis could quickly find himself in an environment that’s more conducive to his style of play. He’s probably never going to average 8.2 assists per game again like he did in 2024, but there’s no reason to be in sell mode with him right now.
Brice Sensabaugh has been a flamethrower recently and collected 25 points and 6 rebounds over the weekend. He’s averaging a ridiculous 31.7 ppg over his last three games while coming off the bench in all three of those games. It’s worth noting of course that Lauri Markannen didn’t play in any of these games because of an illness, but hey, Sensabaugh looks like a wonderful streamer until Markannen comes back if nothing else.
Wendell Carter Jr. played well in the London game, totaling 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 threes, 2 blocks and 2 steals. WCJ doesn’t have a ton of upside in Orlando and you always have to worry about his endurance (he’s yet to play more than 61 games in a single season), but he’s been good lately – even if his performance on Sunday isn’t going to repeat itself that often.
Jay Huff had a stinker on Saturday, getting 3 points and no blocks in Indiana’s 43-point blowout to the Pistons. Huff had actually gotten back into the starting lineup and had been playing well, relatively speaking. However, he’s no longer blocking shots at a torrid pace and because he barely produces any rebounds, there are bound to be better options on the waiver wire for you. (He should still be quite useful as a streamer if you need some blocks though.)
Ausar Thompson had 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and a block against the Pacers. His defensive numbers have been pretty solid over the last couple weeks, but he’s been a black hole in almost every other category and there’s no reason to think that’ll change soon barring something dramatic. He’s not someone you categorically need to hang on to anymore.
Jordan Poole had 13 points and 4 rebounds in Houston. His status as a sixth man has been a death sentence to him from a fantasy perspective, and while there’s always the chance he could see heavy minutes towards the end of the year if the perpetually-hurt Pelicans get hurt again, Poole is just not doing enough besides hitting threes to be worth owning in a standard league unless you really, really need those threes.
Collin Murray-Boyles put up 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks against the Lakers on Sunday. His numbers haven’t been jaw-dropping as a starter, but he’s been consistently contributing in every category outside of threes and is worth rostering until/if Jakob Poeltl returns from his prolonged absence.
Naji Marshall continued to impress on Saturday, producing 16 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds against Utah. With Anthony Davis and Derek Lively II effectively done for Dallas this season and Daniel Gafford struggling to get on the court too, Marshall is suddenly the Mavs’ primary big man and he’s responded by averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals over his last five games. There’s potentially a lot of moving parts in Dallas so it’s hard to say how effective he’ll be in a few weeks, but Marshall should be a terrific add in the short term at the very least.
Klay Thompson scored 21 points on 6 threes versus Utah. He’s been on a hot streak lately and is worth riding if you need points or threes, though it’s unlikely he’s going to help you in other categories.
Jalen Smith returned to the starting lineup and was solid, picking up 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 threes, 3 assists and 2 steals. That makes three straight double-doubles for Smith, who’s filled in swimmingly in Josh Giddey’s absence and could threaten to bump Isaac Okoro to the bench when Giddey returns. Smith is worth adding if he’s still available in your league.
