LeBron James has not shown any signs of slowing down, despite being near the end of his legendary NBA career. James is 37 years old right now, but is still playing at an extremely high level, and is still one of the best players in the NBA. James is incredible on the offensive end and is no slouch on defense either.
At his peak, LeBron James was an incredible defender. During his stint in Miami, James was a regular All-Defensive player and was even a strong contender for Defensive Player Of The Year in 2013. But as he’s grown older, James has not been playing defense as strong as he used to, but he showed recently that he can still lockdown opposing players.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a much-needed win against the New York Knicks on Saturday night. James and Anthony Davis both played a big role in the win for the Lakers, as they both put up big points. But James was no slouch on defense, as he shut down Julius Randle with an innovative move.
Check out how LeBron uses a spin move of his own to neutralize Julius' pic.twitter.com/5YAxZhfdm9
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) February 6, 2022
During the game, Julius Randle tried to fake out LeBron James with a spin move and trying to drive to the basket. But to Randle’s surprise, LeBron James executed his own spin move and shut down the lane to the basket for Randle. Julius Randle was forced to pass the ball out and the Knicks took a bad shot to not incur a shot-clock violation.
NBA fans reacted to this innovative move from LeBron James on the defensive end. Many commended him for being able to anticipate Randle’s movement and shut him down so quickly, despite his advanced age and him losing a little bit of the athleticism he had during his peak.
This is actually bad defense according to the galaxy-brainers in the QTs who have him defending some theoretical offensive player instead of Julius Randle
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) February 6, 2022
"Neutralized?!? LeBron would've been screwed if *Julius Randle* half spun and drove right or hit him with a stepback instead? I am very smart!"
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) February 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/Pvark1/status/1490394371325411331
He’s still the best player in the league. Imagine if he was in a functional team in this form. Scary.
— OrangeMS (@nolandingEuropa) February 6, 2022
LeBron knows that spin move all too well pic.twitter.com/x5FyqkiaCY
— Kenny Sam (@KennySam21) February 6, 2022
Bron didnt do the spin until randles head was turned around he spun after seeing randle fully commit
— EthanWayne (@EWAYNEtheBATMAN) February 6, 2022
😂😂😂😂😂😂
— 𝔎 (@diekioh) February 6, 2022
this is an elite tweet.
— jes (@jeswin_meslie) February 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/LikeSpend1/status/1490443434603298822
It was a pretty smart move from LeBron James, who showed that he can still be a great defensive player when called upon. For LeBron, this will be a confidence booster, as he can take on greater defensive responsibilities from time to time, especially during the playoffs.
LeBron James sent a message to the Los Angeles Lakers after their impressive win, saying that they needed to hold themselves accountable. With his return and Anthony Davis’ impressive form since returning, James will be hoping to lead the Los Angeles Lakers back to a decent playoff spot.
