Carmelo Anthony says only reason LeBron James isn’t scoring 30 PPG

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LeBron James is approaching the game differently this season, and it’s led to a noticeable drop in his scoring.

For the first time in his career, LeBron is starting to look like a player feeling the effects of age.

His incredible streak of double-digit scoring games has also come to an end.

This season, LeBron is averaging 16.5 points per game. Despite that drop, Carmelo Anthony believes James could still put up 30 points a night if he wanted to.

Carmelo Anthony shares thoughts on LeBron James’ decline

Throughout his 19-year NBA career, Carmelo Anthony went up against LeBron James many times and even spent time as his teammate.

That experience gives Melo some unique insight into LeBron’s scoring ability. Speaking on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, he offered an explanation for why James isn’t putting up the same numbers this season.

“If he said, ‘Yo, I’mma go average 30.’ He’s gonna do it. In year 23. Bro, he was in year 22, averaging 27, 26. It ain’t that much changed since four months ago,” Anthony began.

He continued: “It’s just more that he’s taken a step back. I’m just saying if he wanted to, he could go out there and average 30 points.”

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have taken on most of the scoring load for the Lakers this season, allowing LeBron to shift more into a playmaking role.

Even so, LeBron has shown that when needed, he can still turn it on offensively. His performance against the Philadelphia 76ers was a clear example of that.

Carmelo Anthony calls scoring 30 PPG ‘easy’ in today’s NBA

He may have never won an NBA title, but few players from his era could put up points the way he did.

Melo went on to explain why he thinks James could still score more if he wanted to, saying it’s easier than ever to put up big numbers in today’s game.

“It’s not hard to average 30 points if that’s what you do today. If I want to go average 30 points, I’m conditioned enough to go average 30 points,” Anthony continued.

He finished by saying: “It’s easy to score 25 points today if that’s what you do. It’s not a coincidence that these guys are scoring the way that they are – that’s what the game is inviting.”

Right now though, LeBron and the Lakers seem more focused on tightening up their defense than putting up big numbers. Their offense has plenty of options, but defensively, there’s still work to be done.