He's clearly among the best players of all time.

But at 35 the MBA's all time leading playoff scorer is still finding new ways to optimize his game.

James has been to the MBA finals in nine of the last 10 seasons, which is incredible, but becoming the league's all time playoff minutes leader has also taken a toll as he nears to full decades in the league is forced him to find ways to manage his workload and to conserve his energy.

35 year old LeBron.

We'll tell 27 year old, but you don't even know your game.

You haven't even scratched the surface.

LeBron is an elder statesman now, and as such, he picks his spots more than ever.

Wow, He has learned to pace himself and to preserve himself in ways that enabled him in the Lakers to triumph in the bubble.

In the age of load management, it isn't that LeBron is missing more games.

He's load managing during games.

According to second spectrum, James was one of the slowest players in the playoffs.

Now that doesn't mean LeBron can't run anymore.

Not at all it just indicates that he spent more time in low gear than most other players in the postseason.

Throughout the playoffs, James average speed on the court was just 3.59 MPH, the third lowest such figure among the post seasons most active players.

In fact, James spent over 77% of his time moving slowly on Lee.

Three players in the postseason had a higher share of slow movement James Harden, Anthony Davis and Chris Paul.

Again, this does not mean the King can't move anymore.

The slow average just indicates that he chose to spend a huge amount of his time barely moving.

He rests and conserves his energy so that when he decides to hit the turbo button, he has this gear at his disposal LeBron say it with.

It's a similar story on defense, where James has been called out in recent years for an apparent lack of effort.

Some of that is surely schematic, and the data suggests he's still above league average on that end.

But it's not absurd to think he recharges by taking it easier on deep until he chases down some poor soul look, LeBron's 2020 playoff run proved that the King is still the best player in the world when it matters most.

But that's Onley true, because he's creating efficiencies and it shows up in his stats.

Let me give you two key pieces of evidence that proved that this old king is a different animal than the young buck that's dominated the league since 2003.

Exhibit A.

His shot selection.

Even though LeBron is still one of the best scorers on Earth, he's getting his points in different ways.

He's taking more threes than ever, and he's attacking the rim less.

Over the course of his career, just 22% of James shots have come from Downtown.

But this season he said a new career high by launching 32.6% of his shots from beyond the arc.

When he won his first title with Miami in 2012, he made 22 threes in that postseason run.

In this year's playoffs, he doubled that figure, sinking 44 triples.

James made a respectable 37% of his threes during the postseason, and the simple fact that he can and will make threes at this level in his 18th season and beyond, will help him extend his career.

He'll take a three.

LeBron James will hit a three.

How about it?

LeBron James?

Let's face it.

Threes air easier on the body than the ferocious downhill rim attacks that James has used to generate his points for most of a seemingly endless prime.

During his last playoff run, in 2017 18, James averaged 22.8 drives per 100 possessions.

This year, that figure fell all the way down to 16.8 by trimming out his drives to the rack.

James's earning fewer trips to the free throw line.

During the regular season, he logged the lowest free throw rate of his career, and during the playoffs he put up the fourth lowest free throw rate of his 14 post seasons.

But make no mistake, James hasn't retired from dominating the paint.

He's just picking his spots more carefully.

He attempted 212 shots in the paint this postseason, easily the most in the league, but by no means his career high in that category.

He's being more selective but scoring more efficiently, all while still operating at league high levels.

Not only did he attempt Mawr pain shots than any other player in the postseason out of the 52 players that tried at least 40 shots in the paint in the playoffs, he also ranked first overall inefficiency, converting a ridiculous 71.2% of those tries.

At 35 James is still unmatched.

Inefficiency in volume as an interior score, especially when it counts most.

When the Lakers needed buckets down the stretch, he could still get them at wheel by overpowering younger defenders who are no match for the guy near the rim Man, He put Rondae, Hollis Jefferson in the weight room Exhibit B the dime.

Aside from shot selection theme, other huge recent shift in James offensive game involves his passing.

James has always been a phenomenal passer and unselfish player, but this season he took that toe brand new heights.

For the first time in his career, he led the MBA and assists, logging 10.2 assists per game.

Look at all these dimes.

These assists are a vital component of James ability to stay fresh on the court instead of fighting his own way to physical baskets in the pain.

He's putting Mawr trust in his teammate just in time.

All perfect pass.

He's more selfless than ever, but that doesn't mean he or his team is sacrificing much overall.

This season, the Lakers logged an impressive, effective field goal percentage of 54.6% including the regular season and the playoffs.

But off of James passes, the Lakers F G soared to 56.1% the highest such mark among the MBA's top 10 shot creators this season.

It certainly helps that the Lakers have Anthony Davis, who still just 27 1 of the most talented teammates LeBron has ever had.

James can rely on a D to shoulder the load into 2021 following a shorter than usual offseason.

James has always been among the savviest superstars in the game, but as he ages gracefully, his basketball I Q is on full display now.

Not only has he refined to shot selection and found even more ways to create easy hoops for his teammates, he has altered the pace at which he plays to maximize his energy stores, and consequently he has stretched out his reign on the throne.

At 35 James became the oldest finals.

M v p in the history of the MBA.

Who would doubt he could break that record a time or two more.

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